Mechanical Heart
by Phantom Styx
Summary: In a world where Konoha is a high tech city, Itachi, trying to escape his past, lives away and alone. But when he finds Sasuke, a robot whose lost his memory, Itachi will have to overcome that past. Sasuke will also have to choose, love or duty? SasuIta
1. Chapter 1

Title: **Mechanical Heart **

**Genre: **Romance, Sci-fi maybe

**Rating: **T (shounen-ai, yaoi, kissing, boyxboy, no sex scenes)

**Pairings: **Sasuita

**Summary: **Itachi was a man running from his past. Fate decides to be a bitch and put him in a position where he has to overcome said past. Sasuke was a robot on a mission. He loses his memories during an escape and finds himself living with Itachi. But when he regains his memories, Sasuke finds that his target is more closer than he realizes. With these new found feelings, Sasuke will have to choose, love or duty? Will he ignore his new-found heart or will he betray his most trusted friends?

**WARNING!!:** THIS STORY CONTAINS SHOUNEN-AI, YAOI, BL, OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT. It involves a boy loving another boy. If you strongly hate yaoi than you can always click the small arrow button on the top of the screen to go back to your previous page. For those of you who like yaoi, then please enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Please note that this is the first story I have ever written. I hope it's okay.

* * *

Konoha, the great nano-technological city. That was what it was. With it's high skyscrapers, tube slide transporters and hovercrafts. It was a place where technology bloomed. Robots were abundant in numbers. Many of the people didn't have to work and the ones who did only used their brains. The hands-on work were left to the robots. The robots basically did everything. They directed air traffic, controlled factories, and created more robots that could be used for other things like servants work.

There were two types of robots in Konoha: the AIRs and the NAIRs. The NAIRs (Non Artificial Intelligent Robots) were basically robots with no brains. They did petty servants work. They only existed to obey orders. A human's wish was their command, no questions asked. Most worked in factories. The AIRs however, were different. They were the robots with brains. AIRs (Artificial Intelligent Robots) did many thinking jobs. Some worked in businesses to improve the human life and some worked in supervising the NAIRs, the no-brainers.

Anyway, Konoha was the greatest technological city ever. They had everything. There lived the greatest scientific brains ever (and a bunch of nobodies who just sat there being pampered by the robots).

If one was to ask someone about Konoha, they would say that it was the best place to ever live. But if one was to ask Itachi, he would have replied differently. Itachi was just a man, 21-years-old, and yet he had a different view of Konoha: he hated that city. Well, he didn't really hate it, he just didn't like living or being in there for some reason and so that was why he chose to live in the countryside in the middle of nowhere. It was a peaceful life there but something was coming, something that would slowly destroy the perfect world that Itachi had constructed for himself.

* * *

Sunlight filtered through barely drawn drapes and landed on the bed and body of a sleeping person. Slowly, red crimson eyes blinked open and gazed sleepily onto the clock next to his bedstand. It was 7 in the morning. The said person trudged out of bed, went to the window, and pulled the red curtains all the way over the window, fully keeping the sunlight from entering the room. Then, the person went and flopped back onto the bed.

'_It's too early in the morning'_ Itachi thought as he drifted back to sleep. Besides, there was nothing to do today.

It was about two hours later when Itachi finally awoke. He went to the bathroom and took his morning shower. He combed his long ebony hair that fell like a waterfall down his back and tied it into a low ponytail. Then, after changing into a blue long-sleeve and regular black pants, he went down the stairs and then to the kitchen where he started preparing breakfast.

'_Let's see what I have to do today: make breakfast, deliver breakfast to Kakashi, come back and spend the rest of the day inside the house or outside doing nothing. Hmm, this sounds like what I do every single day since I got here'_ Itachi finished his train of thought when the eggs and bacon that he was frying were done. He was making two servings. One was for himself and the other was for his neighbor Kakashi, who lived about half a mile from where he lived.

For someone who lived so far away, they weren't really neighbors but he was the only one that was even remotely close to where he lived so he considered them neighbors. Itachi took the two eggs he had just fried and four pieces of bacon along with two loaves of bread and put them inside a container. That was for Kakashi. Then, he friend another egg and two pieces of bacon. That was for him. After putting his serving into another container, Itachi got the two containers, put them into a bag and began his walk to Kakashi's house.

Itachi opened his door and stepped outside the house. He felt the sun beam her beautiful rays at him. It was nice and warm. In fact, everything in the countryside was peaceful and warm. There were no noises and the only sounds that could be heard was the chirping of the birds. Itachi looked to his left. About a few miles away sat the great city of Konoha. It was surrounded by a giant transparent dome that covered the whole city. Things were constantly flying into and out the dome. Those were the deliveries that were being made to other cities. Konoha was like a powerhouse. It produced goods and shipped them off like crazy. The city didn't really have to rely on other foreign products since it was self-sufficient but because of all the goods that it produced, it was gaining money. Itachi looked away. He had left the city for a very good reason. Just looking at it would bring back bad memories and Itachi didn't want that.

Slowly, Itachi walked down the path that lead to Kakashi's house. It took about 10 minutes but physical exercise was good. He could imagine all of those individuals who lived in the city and got fat just by being pampered by the robots. It made Itachi sick. He believed that if there was something that needed to be done, you should do it yourself.

'_It's so peaceful here.' _Itachi thought as he listened to the birds chirping. The wind was blowing a cool breeze over the area and the trees swayed with the wind. The sunlight shone over the place making it bright. There was grass for as long as the naked eye could see. After walking for about 10 minutes, Itachi came to a house that sat beside the pathway. It was Kakashi's house. Itachi walked up the porch stairs and knocked on the door. It took a few minutes for Kakashi to come down. He greeted Itachi at the doorway with a familiar 'Yo' and beckoned for Itachi to come inside. Kakashi was wearing a black long sleeve and black pants with his green vest. He had an eye patch over his left eye and what looked like a black-dark blue surgery mask over his mouth and nose. Itachi never questioned at why he was wearing a mask.

"You're a bit late today? Wake up late again?" asked Kakashi. He was staring at the bag in Itachi's hands more. He knew it was his breakfast. Kakashi couldn't cook to save his life. That was why he had Itachi prepare his meals.

"There's nothing much to do today so I decided to sleep in. It wasn't like I was expecting something from Konoha." answered Itachi. This was a small truce that Itachi and Kakashi had made. Itachi would cook Kakashi his meals and in return, whenever Kakashi made his daily rounds to Konoha, he would pick up some things for Itachi.

Kakashi only 'hmmed' in response. Itachi set the bag down on the dining table and proceeded to take out the containers. Kakashi went to grab two cups and filled them with milk. Then, the two of them sat down on the table and started eating. A long time ago, Itachi would just deliver the food and leave but after he got to know Kakashi a little, they had become good friends so he would eat over sometimes at his house.

Kakashi looked at how little Itachi was eating and he said, "You should eat more. You're really skinny." It was true. Itachi was skinny. Not just skinny but slender. He didn't have muscles that revealed themselves so naturally, he had a rather feminine body. It was probably from his mother's side. In fact, back then, people were always mistakening Itachi for a woman. He was beautiful like a woman. He had crimson orbs as red as blood, a small dainty nose, pink lips, and long black hair that flowed down his back like a waterfall. Many people, both men and women, fell in love with him at first sight. Itachi was just happy that Kakashi was not one of those people. It was getting really annoying.

"This is how much I usually eat," Itachi said dully. Kakashi didn't push the matter further. Itachi then asked, "Did you go to Konoha today?"

"No, I'm planning on going this afternoon," Kakashi replied equally as dully. Then he asked, "Why don't you ever go to Konoha yourself?"

Itachi didn't answer immediately. Instead, he just stared at his food in complete silence, ignoring Kakashi. Finally he said, "I just choose not to."

Finally, after they had finished eating, Kakashi cleared away the plates and Itachi turned to leave. They were really quiet neighbors, not really speaking that much. Maybe it was because both of them had a past that they wanted to forget. Itachi knew Kakashi had one. He had learned some time ago that Kakashi once had a really close friend named Obito. They were like brothers but it was due to a small accident that Obito had died. Kakashi said that it was his fault that Obito had died; he was unable to make it in time to save him. Kakashi became distant after that but he still talked to people. Itachi, however, stopped talking to others a long time ago. Kakashi was an exception.

Just before Itachi walked two steps toward his home, Kakashi called his name and said out the window, "You should go to Konoha one day. It's a great city. You might like it."

Itachi just replied, "Maybe," softly.

As Itachi was getting smaller and smaller into the distance, Kakshi watched him for a long time and said out loud to himself, "I wonder what happened to him to make him act like this?"

* * *

There, that's the end of it. I hope it was okay. I'm really worried that I didn't do a good job. Anyway Sasuke's going to appear in the next chapter, hopefully. Please comment and tell me about the story. I want to know what you think of it so far.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello people. Since I was in a happy mood today, I decided to update my story Mechanical Heart. So here is the second chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Please remember that this is my first story. I don't know how it will progress but I hope you will like it when it is finished.

* * *

"There he is, after him!" a voice shouted loudly. It was followed by a beckoning hand and a wave of feet that plodded through the streets. "We can't let him escape!"

Sasuke cursed inwardly in his head as he kept on running. Damn those ANBU! He would have never expected them to tap his conversations and now he was going to get arrested. He thought about how to lose the ANBU agents as he ducked around a corner and into an alley. He heard a patter of feet going after him but it seemed a little less. _'They split up'_ his brain told him as he continued on running down the deserted streets. It was nighttime and most people were already asleep. The only things that were still moving was the occasional stray and some robots.

'_I can't let them catch me. If they do, then all the things we've worked for would be a complete waste. They'll look into my memory chip and find out everything. I can't let that happen,' _Sasuke told himself in his mind. He ran past a huge building and around another corner. Finally, Sasuke looked around at his surroundings and found out that his feet had taken him to the UPAS Building which was an abbreviated way of saying United Postal AirService. _'That's right. They have airships in there. I can escape on one of those.' _A shout from his left told him that was the best escape method.

Sasuke quickly ran for one of the doors. He pressed on it and went inside when the door slid open. There, his feet met one of those escalator ramps that extended whenever someone was to step on them. The ramp lead to a giant dome system that was inside the building. There, packages and mail were loaded into airships and then sent out to deliver the packages to other cities. Sasuke heard the ANBU agents following him into the building. The ramp extended directly in front of the dome where a hidden door slide open. Sasuke went through the door and he was inside the most complex building he had ever seen. There were conveyer belts and tunnels where heavily packaged items were being transported. He would have continued on staring in awe if it wasn't for a blast that nearly hit his arm.

'_Shit, now they're shooting.'_ He had to get out of here fast. Another shot was fired and Sasuke ran for the nearest aircraft he could find, which was suspended a few hundred feet from where he was. Sasuke made a mad dash for it. He ran up the flight of stairs that lead to the landing spot of the aircraft. The ANBU agents followed after him. Another two shots were fired before Sasuke got to the aircraft. The first shot missed him thankfully but the second one was apparently fired by an agent skilled in the field of marksmanship for it hit Sasuke's left leg. Some of the biological tissue was ripped off revealing the stainless steel that made up his leg. Red flesh was visible that was supposed to be covering the mechanical parts. Sasuke felt his leg get damaged but he kept on running up the stairs. He was almost there.

Finally, he crossed the steel ramp and made it to the landing. Sasuke quickly threw open the door as more shots were fired. He shut the door with a bang and flipped on the switch. The engines roared with life and with a push of a lever, the aircraft was beginning to take off.

The aircraft sped through the air and Sasuke aimed it toward an exit. But just before he could make it all the way out of the UPAS Building, the skilled marksman ANBU agent took out a laser gun. He aimed it at the aircraft's engines and pulled the trigger. The gun fired up and shot a laser that went right at it's aimed target, the engines.

Sasuke felt him get hit but he kept on trying to escape. They couldn't capture him. Even if they found him all broken to small mechanical pieces, as long as his memory chip didn't break, then they would be able to read all of his memories like one would read a book. Before he blew up, Sasuke had to make sure that his memory was properly deleted. Hoping that the aircraft would last him until he safety got out of the city of Konoha, Sasuke steered toward the night sky. He quickly located the closest dome exit and sped through it, the engines leaving a small trail of smoke. He felt his small aircraft fail when he was a few miles away from Konoha. The whole ship was beginning to shake. It was raining hard.

Sasuke popped open a small cover on his mechanical wristband. Inside was a touchscreen. Then, he touched a few places on his screen and then set the password. He was blocking off his memory with a password. The password was thought activated so all he had to do was have that word pop up in his mind and he would be able to remember everything. This way, if he was caught by the ANBU, then they wouldn't be able to read his memory chip but if he wasn't, there was still a chance that he would remember and return to his task. He could only hope for the latter. Sasuke pressed the initiate button and in a few seconds, his whole system shut down. It was followed by a loud crash as the aircraft failed to stay airborne.

* * *

Itachi was sleeping when he heard the loud 'crash' sound. It was so loud that it jolted him from his peaceful slumber. He quickly got out of bed, put on a jacket, grabbed an umbrella, slipped on his shoes and went out into the pouring rain to investigate just what was the cause of the noise. A small line of smoke poured into the night sky so it wasn't hard to locate the crash site. Itachi walked slowly to the pile of dented and dirtied rubble that somewhat looked like an aircraft. He looked closely at the label on the aircraft and thought curiously _'A UPAS aircraft. These ships rarely fail. I wonder what caused it to crash?'_ The impact had torn the airship into two pieces.

Itachi looked closely and saw that it wasn't just an airship that was part of the rubble. Lying among the damaged and shredded packages and mail was a person, no a robot. Itachi could tell because apparently the crash caused some of the robot's biological tissue to get ripped. He could see heavy machinery in places that was supposed to have skin and flesh.

Seeing that the robot had biological tissue, it could only mean that said robot was an AIR. AIRs came in two types: one had biological outer tissue or what most people called skin and tendons that attached to the machinery inside. It made the robot look more humanly. Itachi guessed that it was suppose to make the robot blend in with humans. The other type didn't have any biological tissue. The cells of the tissue, if damaged, would undergo mitosis like regular human cells do and just repair itself given time.

Itachi studied the AIR further. It didn't look as though it came from a packaging company but looks could be deceiving. Anyhow, he had two choices: leave the robot and the ship the way it is and pretend as though nothing happened or help the robot and clean up the mess. Since Itachi was the nice type, he decided to help the AIR. First of all, he had to move the AIR back to his house so he could repair him. That was the big problem, Itachi wasn't strong enough to carry the robot. Those things were heavy.

Just when he was thinking on how to solve his problem, Kakashi suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "I heard a loud crash near here. I though something had happened. Are you okay?" Kakashi asked the long haired man.

Itachi replied, "I'm fine. But he doesn't look well," pointing to the battered up AIR.

"Woah, what happened? Did his ship just crash or something?" asked the silver haired man as he studied the robot. "And what would a robot be doing all the way in the middle of nowhere. Shouldn't he be in the city?"

"That's what I'm wondering too but we don't have time; I need to get him into the house," Itachi said.

"I have a wagon. Well, it's just a board with wheels on it but it might be able to hold him. I'll go get it," Kakashi declared as he ran back down the path to his house.

As Itachi waited for him to come back, he looked more closely at the AIR. He couldn't tell what it had once worked as by the clothes. This robot was wearing a trench coat, a plain dark blue T-shirt, some black jeans, and boots. For some reason, Itachi had a hunch that this robot was not just delivering mail when his ship went down. Those thoughts were interrupted when Kakashi came back with his so called wagon. Kakashi grabbed the AIR by the legs and Itachi grabbed the head. Then, they both heaved and threw the robot onto the wagon. That thing really did weigh a lot. Kakashi wheeled the wagon into the house through the back door while Itachi held the door for him. Then, when he was inside, Kakashi asked, "Where do you want to put him?"

"The living room. It's big enough to work," Itachi answered him.

The two of them grabbed the AIR and just like outside lifted him up and put him onto the living room floor. It was more like dropped but since the floor was carpet, it didn't damage the robot much. Itachi got down onto his knees and inspected the robot. He was really damaged. With the biological tissue out of the way, he could see that some of the steel was dented, some joints were popped out, some wires were broken, and he was also missing some parts as well.

"I'll need some tools, basic construction utensils would work. I'll also need some parts," Itachi said in a very professional manner. It was like fixing robots was something he did everyday and from what Kakashi knew about him, this was probably the first time the long haired man even came close to a robot. Perhaps he didn't know the man as well as he thought he did.

"I have some tools back at home. I don't know about the parts though," Kakashi stated.

"I can probably use some of the ship's parts if it's not too badly damaged," Itachi said in an unemotional tone of voice.

Kakashi didn't respond to that and instead went out into the pouring rain to go home and get the tools he had. Itachi remained in the house. After a few minutes, Kakashi came back. In his hand was a heavy box of tools ranging from screwdrivers to power drills. He set the box down and began taking things out. Itachi looked at the robot and said, "This is going to take some time."

* * *

Yeah, so uh, Sasuke was introduced and now Itachi is going to fix him. Sasuke won't die though, he's a robot. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think of this chapter. Sasuke's going to wake up in the next chapter and he and Itachi will finally meet.


	3. Chapter 3

Yeah, this is the third chapter of Mechanical Heart. Took me a while to write it. I also know I sort of BSed on the surgery part. That's because I don't know much about robot anatomy. (I'm not Itachi) So, if you bear with me, that part will be cut short. Sorry. Thank you so much for the reviews.

* * *

Kakashi was downright suspicious. As he watched Itachi remove the damaged parts and replace it with the parts that he got from the ship, his suspicions grew. The way that Itachi worked, his skillful hands, the way that he seemed to know which part went in which place, it was as though he knew everything about the anatomy of a robot. He knew where to cut the biological tissue so it didn't damage the inner wires. He knew what to take out so to reach into the very inner parts. He knew which wires and silicon chips went into which transmitter. He knew when a part was damaged even if it looked like it wasn't.

Being able to construct and repair robots takes a lot of education and practice. It takes years for the best technologists to even be able to do what Itachi was doing now. The only place where people could learn about it was in Konoha. Those were where the best robot building schools were. If Kakashi didn't know better, he'd say that Itachi was from Konoha or at least went to a school there. But there was one thing Kakashi didn't get: most of the robot experts in Konoha were all old when they could accomplish building robots. Itachi was only in his 20's. Still, that didn't change the fact that Itachi had to have been in Konoha for some time in his life.

The surgery, or if it was considered a surgery, took the whole night and some of the morning. There were some times when Itachi had to go out to the aircraft and find a new part. He worked with accuracy and precision. By late morning, Itachi had the AIR stitched up and repaired. The biological tissue would heal itself over time so the crimson eyed man just stitched a few places and bandaged some others. Then, he left the robot in the living room. There was no other place to put him after all. And besides, after staying up for a whole night fixing a robot, both men were too tired to lift it anymore.

"He should be okay. I can't tell how damaged his brain circuits are until he wakes up," Itachi said.

"Where did he come from?" Kakashi asked. Itachi was wondering the same thing but he didn't say anything for he could not answer the question. They would know everything once the robot awakened.

Kakashi then asked a question that left Itachi even more speechless, "How did you know how to fix robots?" Itachi looked away, refusing to meet Kakashi's gaze. Kakashi was scrutinizing him almost expecting him to slip up and reveal something in his face or eyes. But Itachi had learned a long time ago to keep an emotionless mask on. Never let anyone read you. That was his only defense.

Kakashi went on, "I saw you mend him like you were an expert in that field. Have you been to Konoha before?"

"What makes you say that?" asks Itachi who was still averting Kakashi's eyes.

"That city is the only place that has schools there to teach you about these things. One isn't just born with knowledge about the structure of robots. It's a very complex thing that takes years to learn," Kakashi stated.

"I have to change my clothes and you should change yours too," Itachi said, trying to dodge the question. It worked. Both of them were muddy all over because of the rain and the heavy work. Itachi went up the stairs not saying another thing and Kakashi, knowing that he wasn't getting anything from him, turned to go home, thinking that a nice shower would be nice.

* * *

Itachi peeled the mud-soaked clothes off of his slender body. He was in the bathroom. The night had exhausted him. Leaning over and kneeling on the floor made his back ache terribly. He wanted to just collapse onto the bed and sleep. Sleep was like heaven now but first he had to get clean. Then afterwards was the floor problem. Dragging the AIR inside had caused mud tracks on the floor. He had to clean that up too. Itachi was a neat freak. But first things first, the shower. He pulled the hair tie out of his hair and let the ebony locks cascade over his shoulders and down his back.

Itachi stepped into the shower and turned the water on full blast. A jet of warm water hit his tired body. _'This feels good,' _Itachi thought. He washed off the dirt that had gotten on his body. It swept away down the drain and Itachi watched it, thinking back to the AIR. _'What am I going to do with it. Keeping a robot here isn't a good idea. Maybe I should just ask Kakashi to return it back to Konoha.' _

Then, Itachi thought of something. _'The ship that the robot came on, it was damaged. Not just crash damaged, the engines. If I recall, the engines were fried when I went to scavenge for parts. Something or someone shot the aircraft, but why?'_

Itachi stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around himself. He held the towel up to his chest as he went out of the bathroom. Looking around the drawers, Itachi found a clean white button-up shirt and black jeans. He got dressed, dried his hair as much as possible, and walked down the stairs back to the living room. The sight that greeted him almost made him jump out of his skin.

The robot was sitting up. But that was not the thing that scared Itachi the most; it was the way the robot was looking at him. Empty onyx orbs just stared back at him. _'So he's awake,' _Itachi thought as he walked down the rest of the stairs.

The slender man's scarlet eyes studied the robot. He paused a little distance from the AIR and looked at the black glassy eyes that were staring into his. Looks like his skills didn't dissolve over the years. He was still able to repair robots well. Now Itachi was positive this robot did not come from a UPAS company. The clothes were put back onto the AIR after he was done stitching up the organic tissue. _'Those clothes do not belong to a UPAS worker on delivery service.' _

The blood colored eyes looked from the clothes to the build the robot was built with. This robot had extra hydraulic servomechanisms, or in other words, what people would perceive to be muscles on a human. He was not bulky muscular. Just muscular to the point where you can see it yet it doesn't reveal itself so obviously.

Itachi's body was probably the exact opposite from the robot's. He didn't have muscles, just lean flesh. His body was lithe and petite. But just because he looked fragile doesn't mean that he was. He knew his strength even if he did look a little delicate.

The ruby eyes moved to look at the face. The robot had spiky black hair. The front locks framed his face while the back stuck up, creating spikes. He trailed his eyes to the neck. There was a huge tear of biological tissue there. An enormous chunk of red had been ripped out. Itachi couldn't stitch that part up. He had to wait for the flesh to heal itself.

'_The flesh-covering of an AIR has similar qualities to real human muscle and skin. It has the ability to sweat, simulate breathing, and produce realistic body odor. It, however, does not have nerve receptors therefore the robot cannot feel pain but is aware of temperature degrees. Although the tissue does contain blood, it usually displays very minimal bleeding when damaged. Because of the absence of a circulatory system, the tissues use a system of nanobots to maintain the flow of blood while depending on synthetic oxygen carriers to stabilize the cells. The cells, if damaged, will undergo mitosis to multiply and repair itself at rapid speeds, more faster than a regular human cell. The hair and nails are a product of biological grafting…' _

Itachi's eyes widened and he shook his head when he realized just what he had been thinking of. It was something he had learned a long time ago, in his past. In a past that should have been forgotten. When he was repairing the robot, Itachi had tried so hard to concentrate only on the machinery, concentrate only on what was happening right then. He tried to keep his mind on only his task and nothing else. _Tried to forget how nice it once felt to have a robot in front of you while you worked to repair it, to take it apart, to rebuild it while your parents watched and praised you… _

'_Damn, this robot's gonna be the death of me. I swear, he keeps reminding me of so many things, and he doesn't even know this.'_ Oh well, time to find out how much this robot even knew.

Itachi approached the robot, kneeled down to the side of him, and asked him, "Where do you come from?" The robot didn't say anything. He just kept on staring at Itachi, following his movements with his eyes.

Again Itachi asked, "What do you work as?" Again the robot said nothing. Finally, Itachi asked something that all robots would have been able to answer, "What are you?" Nothing, just a stare.

'_Something's wrong,'_ Itachi thought as he studied the robot. Then, he took the robot's left arm and opened the wristband. He touched a few places on the touchscreen and made a confused face. _'What.'_

Itachi quickly stood up and grabbing the robot by the arm, pulled at him to tell him to stand up too. The robot stood and Itachi thought,_ 'He's tall.' _The robot was taller than Itachi by a few inches. The top of Itachi's head only reached up to the AIR's mouth. Itachi went to put on his shoes. The robot watched his movements. He returned to grab onto the robot's hand, pulling him to go but the robot stayed still.

'_Why isn't he moving?' _Itachi tugged on the hand once more but got no reaction. He went to the back on the AIR, put his hands on the robot's back, and pushed. It didn't work. _'How did I get him to stand up. Oh wait, I grabbed his arm, then I pulled.' _

Sighing, Itachi grabbed the AIR's upper arm and latched his own arm around it, sort of like what a girlfriend would do to her boyfriend during prom night. Itachi pulled at his arm and the robot decided to move then. _'What a picky and stubborn AIR. He had to make me latch onto his arm like that.'_

Itachi kept holding onto the robot's arm as he led the robot out of the house. The sun was shining over the wet grass, signaling that the storm was over. He walked down the same dirt path that he took every single day to Kakashi's house. This time, however, he was not alone in walking it. The two of them didn't say anything as they walked. As the robot's mind stayed blank, Itachi couldn't help but think about why he was even going through all this trouble for someone he didn't even know.

Finally, Kakashi's house came into view and Itachi pulled the robot to walk more faster. He let go of the AIR's arm as he went up to the door and knocked on it several times, pausing to see if the robot had moved. The robot stayed at the exact same position as he left him. Kakashi answered the door and said, "You made breakfast this fast?"

"This is not about breakfast. The robot woke up," Itachi answered.

Kakashi looked at the AIR and said, "So? What's the problem? Now that he's woken up, you can ask him where he came from."

"It's not that easy. Can I use your computer? I have to check on something," Itachi asked. Kakashi opened the door wider and moved out of the way as to say 'okay.' Itachi took one step forward but remembered the robot and looked back. The robot stayed motionless.

"Is he a NAIR? It looks as though he has no brain," Kakashi said as he pointed towards the robot.

"He's not a NAIR. It's just that I suspect something and until I can confirm my suspicions, I'm pretty sure that he has artificial intelligence," Itachi declared in a really professional way.

Kakashi only said, "Hmm," as he watched Itachi walk over to the AIR, grab his hand, and pull. The robot refused to budge. "You sure he has a brain in there?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Itachi said tiredly as he, for the third time this morning, latched onto the robot's arm. The robot finally moved and went into the house.

Kakashi was staring at the robot for some time now. He then asked, "Why does he only move when you do that?" The three of them started ascending the stairs.

"I don't know. I can't tell what's going on inside that machinery of his," Itachi said as he followed Kakashi to his room where the computer was, also pulling the robot to follow him. They came to the room and Itachi motioned the robot to sit down on the floor. The robot obeyed. Itachi then asked Kakashi, "Do you have any microfabricated electrostatic silicon nanowires?"

Kakashi looked at him like he had grown two heads. What the hell was he talking about? Itachi sighed and then said, "You know what, never mind. Cable wires, do you have those?" _'Sometimes I forget where I am. I'm not in a high tech lab, I'm in an ordinary house,' _Itachi thought. _'Still, the nanowires would work more better but cable wires would have to do.'_

"Yeah," Kakashi said slowly and he left the room to fetch them. Itachi was just about to leave too to see if there was something else he could use when he felt a hand grab hold of his wrist. It was a strong grip but also a gentle one, not meant to hurt him. Itachi looked back and saw that it was the robot that had grabbed him. _'Does he not want me to go,' _Itachi thought.

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Isn't it cute? Sasuke doesn't want to let Itachi go. Itachi doesn't know Sasuke's name yet so that is why he keeps referring to him as robot. He'll learn his name though. In the next chapter, they will discover what is wrong with Sasuke but you probably know already. Sasuke will not stay like this though, I intend to give him some emotions and thoughts. Anyway, please review.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four of Mechanical Heart is out. I think this chapter is a little bit shorter than the others, I'm not really sure. Anyway, hopefully I can think of new ideas. This story is taking a really long time to write. Enjoy!

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Itachi tried shaking the hand off but it would not let go. Apparently, the robot didn't want to let him go. Itachi thought it was strange. At first the AIR was all motionless and unresponsive but now it was moving of it's own accord. The dark onyx eyes stared at Itachi's crimson red ones and he couldn't help but wonder at what the AIR was thinking. Those thought were cut short when Kakashi came back with the wires looped over his arm. He looked at how the robot was holding Itachi's hand and was about to say something when he saw the look in Itachi's eyes saying 'Don't Ask.' He shut his mouth.

"I got the wires you needed," Kakashi said instead.

"Good," Itachi answered him and held out his hand to take the wires. The AIR, seeing as though Itachi was not leaving anymore, decided to let go of his hand. Itachi walked over to the computer, turned it on, and plugged one end of the wire into the input transmitter on the computer. Then, he kneeled down to the side of the AIR and took the robot's left hand. He flipped the hand up-side down so that the palm was facing up. Itachi slowly used his fingernails to pry open a cover on the robot's wristband.

The top part of all wristbands contained a touch screen that the robots could use to alter their directions and imputed instructions. The bottom part was a series of transmitter plug-in openings. Itachi knew this. After he got the cover off, Itachi took the other end of the wire an plugged it into one of the slots on the wristband. He let go of the robot's wrist and sat down on the swivel chair facing the computer. On the monitor was a sign saying that the robot was plugged in. Itachi typed some things on the keyboard and the sign disappeared. What popped up was a page that displayed a vast amount of information about the robot, such as it's serial number, manufactured parts, and so on. As his fingers danced over the keyboard, random things seemed to pop up. They looked like ordinary numbers to Kakashi but to Itachi, he knew them to be more.

As Itachi watched the pages jump from numerical code to alphabetic code, he couldn't help but think back. Everything he was doing right now made him remember things. Some things were good but then they would turn bad, just like how his life went in the wrong direction. Even after all that has happened, his abilities haven't faded all these years. _'How long has it been anyways, three years, since I've ever touched a computer. You would think that I would at least forget about basic technology, after what happened.' _Itachi lowed his head, letting his bangs and side-locks cover his face. This was not the time to be contemplating on the past.

As Itachi typed away on the computer, Kakashi was watching him. He saw the nimble fingers as they pressed the buttons at a rapid pace. When realization dawned on him, Kakashi's only visible eye widened. Itachi was not looking at the keyboard as he typed. He was just looking at the screen. Somehow, he knew just what keys to press and where they were all located. It was as though Itachi had memorized all the keys on the keyboard.

Itachi, however, paid no attention to what Kakashi was looking at. He was staring at the screen, analyzing the data. He used the mouse to click a few things. _'This computer's too simple, there's not much information here.' _He opened another page and analyzed it's contents. The robot's serial number was listed there. _'I see, so that's his name.'_

Itachi steered away from that page and moved onto another. _'This would be much easier to understand if I was working on a VHIC. Virtual Holographic Interframe Computer, built with a holographic screen and a series of touch receptors that trace motion on the imagery projector. I could also use.. no, stop thinking about it. You promised yourself never to use it or even consider using it.' _

Thankfully, the absence of a certain link of numbers he noticed brought Itachi back from his reminiscence. He looked more closely and indeed, the most important area of code was missing. _'That confirms it.'_ He was about to exit the page when he saw something else. A more closer glance and Itachi realized it was a numerical sequence in the place where the area of code was supposed to be. _'I recognize this.'_ He had seen it before. _'So it's not erased, but blocked off. Why would someone block off his memories? Damn, if I had the VHIC instead, I could figure out the password.' _

Itachi exited the page. "It's just what I thought," he said.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"This AIR's memories are gone," Itachi answered. "There's nothing inputted in him."

"Like do you mean his memory chip is missing?" Kakashi asked. Itachi shook his head. "Damaged?" he asked again. Again a shake of the head.

"I mean his memories are all gone. There was no problem with the memory chip when I repaired him but when he refused to answer me, I thought that something was wrong. It's confirmed, he's an AIR but without any knowledge of what he is," Itachi said professionally.

"So basically he doesn't know anything. Is there a chance you can recover his memory," Kakashi asked.

Itachi just said, "I said his memories were gone; I didn't say they were erased. There is a chance he can recover them. When I looked at his data, I saw that his memories were blocked off. There's a certain password that can recover them but this computer is not advanced enough for me to do so. It's thought activated though. As soon as that password flashes through his mind, he would be able to remember everything."

"Wait, when you said that it's not advanced enough for me to do so, do you mean that if you had a more advanced computer, you would be able to decode the password using all those serial numbers?" Kakashi said.

Itachi only said, "Yes."

"You came from Konoha, didn't you," Kakashi declared. He was almost certain of it. All of the things that Itachi had said and did just now only proved it. Only a technological scientist from Konoha would have been able to do all those things. And only from Konoha, the most advanced nano-technological city ever.

Itachi said nothing. He again averted the other man's gaze but Kakashi was not giving up that easily. The white haired man said, "Look, I'm not going to help you with that robot if you're not honest with me. I know that thing needs supplies and the only place you can get them is in Konoha. I know for a fact that you won't go there yourself." He then softened his stern face and said in a more kinder tone, "I'm your friend. Won't you trust me?"

Itachi looked at the man wearing the eye patch and the mask and finally, he said softly, "I came from Konoha." He didn't say anymore.

Kakashi didn't ask anymore. He just nodded. He knew that that was all Itachi was ever going to tell him but inside, he was kind of happy that Itachi would share this information with him. That meant that Itachi trusted him and he smiled but unfortunately, Itachi could not see it as the mask was hiding his mouth.

Itachi turned back to the monitor and opened something up on his computer. Kakashi had never seen the program before. It seemed as though Itachi knew more about computers than he did. He continued to type and while pressing the keys, said to Kakashi, "This might take a while. You don't have to continue standing there if you're tired."

"What are you doing," Kakashi asked curiously.

"I'm going to input some things into the AIR." Before Kakashi could ask he continued, "Trivial things like words and information. He should at least know what he is and how to answer and do things." Itachi brushed some of his hair behind his ear. The long black ebony locks were dry now. He could tie it back but too bad he didn't have his hair tie. _'Must have left it at home,' _thought the long haired man.

"Does he have a name," Kakashi said. "We can't keep on calling him 'he' or 'AIR' or 'robot.' All robots have names."

"His name is Sasuke, I think," said Itachi as he continued on typing on the computer.

Kakashi became confused. "How did you know his name? I thought you said his memory was blocked."

"I did. His memory is blocked but his serial number isn't. It's 19-1-19-21-11-5. S is the nineteenth letter in the alphabet, A is the first, S again, then U, then K, and lastly E. It spells Sasuke." Itachi continued on typing, his red eyes glued to the screen.

"Ah, I see. Are all robots named like that," Kakashi asked.

"Most of them," was the reply he got. Kakashi looked at the AIR or, now, Sasuke. He was looking at Itachi, absorbing all the information that Itachi was putting into him. As basic knowledge and words flowed into his mind, Sasuke found the first word to describe Itachi. Sasuke studied the man who was now typing away on the keyboard, his blood red eyes, his long black hair that he apparently forgot to tie up because of all the things that just happened, and his small fragile looking body. Yes, that word fit him perfectly and Sasuke smiled. What was that word you ask?

_Beautiful_

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Sasuke thinks Itachi is beautiful. Isn't that sweet! Next chapter, Sasuke and Kakashi will have a talk. That's all I can say. I still haven't planned it out. Review, I love reading your reviews.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry I took so long writing this chapter. I wrote it but then I changed a few things and added some others. It got pretty messed up so I had to straighten it out. Oh well, I'm a very fickle person so things keep on changing for me. Enjoy chapter five of Mechanical Heart.

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Itachi descended down the stairs of Kakashi's house. The robot, or rather, Sasuke trailed after him. The loading of the data had taken all morning. Itachi's back hurt from sitting in the chair for so long and his fingers were aching. Seriously, the human body can only stand so much. Kakashi had disappeared about two hours ago, probably too bored of watching Itachi type away.

Kakashi was found in the living room, sitting on the dining table and reading a book. It was called 'Icha Icha Paradise,' some perverted book. Itachi never knew why Kakashi would even read those things. He didn't seem that perverted but of course, appearances could be deceiving.

Itachi grabbed a seat and sat on the table, opposite from Kakashi facing him perfectly. The red eyed man started rubbing smooth circles on his temples. God his head hurt. Kakashi looked up from his book and stared straight at the man who currently had his eyes closed and was trying to get rid of the massive headache that was burdening him.

Itachi opened his crimson eyes and his eyes met Kakashi's. He knew what the masked man wanted. "You want me to make you food, is that it?"

Kakashi's eyes turned into up-side down 'U's as he said, "I didn't know you could read people so well."

Itachi sighed and said, "I can practically see it on your face even if you have half of it covered." He slowly got up and walked to the kitchen.

Sasuke was just standing and watching the whole conversation, listening to the brief exchange of words between the two men. He knew what they were talking about now. He was able to process thoughts clearly. And he had thoughts about what was just said. '_The white haired man sounds like a lazy guy, making someone else cook his food.'_ His second thought was, _'The other man, the beautiful one, has a nice voice.'_

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice that was speaking to him, "Hey, Sasuke was it, aren't you gonna sit down?"

It was Kakashi that asked the question. Sasuke turned his head and saw Kakashi was looking at him with a curious expression on his face. The robot took a seat in the same chair that Itachi had been sitting on just five minutes ago.

Kakashi looked back at his book and continued reading it. Sasuke simply stared at his fingers that were now entwined on the table. There were stitches on some of his fingers. He could also see the machinery that made up his hand. It didn't matter, the skin would just grow back and cover those visible parts in time.

Kakashi peeked at what Sasuke was looking at over his book. The white haired man then said, "You really don't remember anything?"

Sasuke looked up from his hands and said, "No. The only thing I do remember is waking up and not knowing where I was, or even what I was."

"Hmm. That's artificial intelligence for you. You can learn and absorb things into your brain but someone's gotta put information into your head before you can begin learning," said Kakashi as he looked back to his book.

"I remember being really scared. I was searching my brain, trying to define what was going on but there was nothing. I remember someone speaking to me, but I couldn't understand anything he was saying," Sasuke recalled.

"Yeah, that was Itachi. I'm surprised you didn't attack him or something. In fact, you wouldn't move unless Itachi was holding onto your arm. Why was that," asked Kakashi not looking up from his book.

Sasuke thought for a moment, trying to recall why. Then he said, "I don't know. Maybe it was because he was the first person I saw so I naturally trusted him and let him guide me. I was too afraid to move on my own."

The robot could remember exactly how he felt when his eyes opened. He felt scared and panicked even if he had no idea what those things were at that time. He recalled trying to understand what was going on but nothing came to mind. That scared him, not knowing anything. When he saw that someone else was with him, it made him more fearful. But the calm and peaceful look on the other's face told him that the man was to be trusted. And when he held his arm and led him to Kakashi's house, Sasuke couldn't help but feel more at ease. The red eyed man was the first person he met, the first person to interact with him, so he naturally felt a little attached to him. The other's presence had calmed him even when he didn't know what calm meant. He had felt emotions at that time even when he didn't know what he was feeling. And when the slender man had moved to leave, Sasuke felt scared again, fearing that he would be left alone to deal with a world he didn't know. He needed the beautiful man beside him, to calm and guide him, to give the soothing feeling that there was nothing to be afraid of even if said person didn't know he was emitting the feeling to start with.

A voice brought Sasuke back from his inward musings. "Sort of like a guardian angel leading a blind man into the light. You're not afraid now, are you," Kakashi asked curiously.

'_An angel... Yeah, I guess he was like an angel. He guided me; he took my arm and led me to the light when I was blinded of knowledge. He is an angel... a crimson eyed angel... my angel...' _then Sasuke remembered that Kakashi had asked him a question so he said, "No, I know how to protect myself. I have knowledge of martial arts in my brain now." _'But I still want Itachi to be close to me. I want to feel that same soothing feeling that he gave me again,' _his brain added in.

Kakashi's only visible eyebrow lifted a little when he heard of the martial arts thing. He wondered outloud, "Now why would Itachi put something like that into your brain."

Sasuke just shrugged. Sizzling could be heard from the kitchen. Sasuke looked at the man across from him one more time before asking, "Why don't you cook your own meals? You're pretty lazy for a guy."

The guy with the mask put his book down and said, "Are you serious? Have you seen my cooking? I can make food look like burnt charcoal. Besides, it's actually a truce that Itachi and I made. He cooks my meals and I help him pick up some things from Konoha whenever I go there."

"He doesn't go there himself," wondered Sasuke outloud.

Kakashi replied, "That's what I've been wondering all this time. For some reason it's like he hates Konoha. That's pretty weird since he came from that city. I'll let you in on another thing." He leaned a little closer across the table and held his hand up so that it covered the side of his mouth.

"Itachi has never smiled before," Kakashi whispered.

This new piece of information surprised Sasuke. "He hasn't?"

"At least, not that I've ever seen since I've been here." Kakashi continued on, "I've always wondered why. It'd be nice if he did smile a little though. Kinda sad for such a nice guy."

Sasuke stared down at his hands again as the new information sunk into his brain. Itachi never smiled. Was he sad? The robot's lips turned downward into a frown. He didn't want someone so gorgeous and nice to be sad. Itachi had saved him, he owed that man for his existence.

The white haired man continued, "Itachi's so unemotional that he's like a doll, empty and lifeless. A porcelain doll, pretty to the eyes of people, and yet so hollow and dead. You look into his eyes and you see nothing, blank. No emotions, whatsoever. Although sometimes I see sadness, but maybe that's just me."

Sasuke knew that what Kakashi said was true. Itachi was like a doll; he looked like one. With his small dainty nose, luscious curved lips, high cheekbones, long delicate eyelashes, soft skin so like porcelain, and smooth, silky long hair. Add his perfect body, curved and well developed with his creamy complexion, and you got the flawless image of an authentic doll, genuine and unblemished. His eyes would be the most noticeable feature, red as blood, crimson like the fires of hell yet so opposite from those burning flames. They were cold, like stone. Blank and unresponsive. There was no emotion in them. Empty and lifeless orbs reflecting an equally hollow heart. But that was what porcelain dolls were like, beautiful outside but having no life inside. Inexpressive and emotionless, unable to feel. That's what made them dolls. _'And that's what Itachi is, a lifeless doll living a human's everyday life and yet, not really living,' _thought Sasuke sadly.

The AIR's thoughts were interrupted by a loud clatter as two plates full of food was placed on the table. Itachi was done preparing the food. He said to Kakashi, "This is your lunch and this is your dinner. You can leave that one in the fridge and heat it up later." He pointed to one of the dishes of food. "I'm not coming back here tonight."

Kakashi looked at the two steaming hot plates and asked, "What about you? Aren't you gonna eat?" He seemed to forget what he had been talking about with Sasuke just two minutes ago.

Itachi brushed some of his hair behind his ear first before simply saying, "I ate while I was cooking."

Kakashi stared at him for a minute trying to understand what he meant by that and when he finally got it, he said, "You picked off from my plate?"

"Maybe. Anyway, we have another more important thing to discuss. Who should Sasuke stay with?" Sasuke's head raised as soon as his name was mentioned.

Kakashi looked at the crimson eyed man like he was joking or something, "Isn't it obvious? He stays with you. You're the only one who can repair him. I can't help him if he malfunctions."

Itachi gave a cold stare to Kakashi and said, "I'm sure he will not malfunction. And besides, I come here every morning, afternoon, and night. I can look at how he's doing at those times. You have all the tools after all. And don't forget that you go to Konoha mostly everyday. Sasuke can go with you when you make those daily trips. Being in Konoha might help trigger his memory since I'm certain he did come from there."

Kakashi opened his mouth to say something but realizing that he had nothing to say to combat the long haired man's statement, closed it. The man did give convincing arguments sometimes. What Kakashi didn't know was that Itachi had only said those things because he didn't want Sasuke living with him. He didn't want company after living alone for so long.

Sasuke, who was listening to the verbal spar, decided to cut in and say something for himself, "Umm, can I speak?" The turn of both men's heads as their attention was directed to him said that he could. "Since I am fully capable of making decisions for myself, I have decided to stay with him." Itachi's eyes widened as a finger pointed in his direction.

Sasuke also added, "And since none of you is my creator, you cannot decide what happens to me or where I go."

This time it was Kakashi's turn to widen his eyes as he said, "How did you know this?" His eyes trailed from Sasuke to Itachi.

Itachi apparently saw the look Kakashi was giving him so he said, "What? He should at least know his rights as an AIR."

"Yeah, but I think it would have been better if you left out the part where he has to only obey his creator's orders," said Kakashi. "We could have ordered him around and he would have had to obey our every command."

"A robot that obeys practically anyone's command is a NAIR. I didn't want him to think that he was one of them so I put that rule into his brain. AIRs have a right to choose not to follow anyone's orders except the ones given by their creators. Any AIR is supposed to know this," Itachi stated.

"You do realize I'm still here and that I can hear everything you're saying. Especially the part where you want to order me around like I'm some dumb brainless," Sasuke said as he looked at Kakashi with an angry look. "Don't forget that I know martial arts and add on the fact that I am a robot. My fist really packs a punch." He raised one of his hands and curled it into a fist to emphasize his point.

"I'm just kidding," Kakashi replied quickly as he held his hands up to protect himself in case Sasuke did hit him.

Itachi sighed again for like the fiftieth time this morning. His life was going to get interesting, he could tell. He turned to face Sasuke and asked him, "So you want to live with me?"

Sasuke's angry look disappeared and was replaced with a kinder look as he said, "Yes." His fingers uncurled from the fist and he rested it on the table. He could hit Kakashi if he wanted to but he would never let himself hit Itachi.

The long haired man closed his eyes as he contemplated on that. _'He's going to leave anyways. As long as I don't get too attached to him... It's just for a while, how much damage can he cause? Maybe I can put up with it... even if he does make me remember things I want to forget...' _He opened his red eyes a few seconds later and said, "Fine. You can stay with me." He turned to leave since there was nothing else to do in Kakashi's house anymore. Sasuke got up and turned to follow.

"Have fun with your new robot. Don't let him kill you," Kakashi hollered to Itachi. The crimson eyed man just continued walking down the hall but Sasuke stopped, turned back, and held his fist up so the white haired man could see it. The robot's eyes were half closed and he had a very serious look, a _very _serious look on his face.

Kakashi gulped. He watched Sasuke walk down the hall to catch up to Itachi. As he heard the front door open and close, Kakashi couldn't help but have a small thought float into his mind, _'Things are really going to get interesting around here.' _He took his fork into his hand and started picking and eating his delicious food.

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Sasuke decided to stay with Itachi. That was kind of expected though. Next chapter Sasuke and Itachi will have their first official talk and Sasuke will make a promise. Anyway, until next time. Review please.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm just curious but do any of you actually read the notes that I'm putting on the top of every chapter? Just want to know, I don't know why. Anyways, I had to spend a lot of time thinking about what to write for this chapter so that's why it took so long to come out. I hope you guys aren't mad. It's just that my brain got fried with what's been happening to me recently and it's been working more slower than usual. But enough of my mindless blabber, onto chapter six of Mechanical Heart.

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The walk home was quiet. Only footsteps could be heard as Itachi and Sasuke walked down the path to their house. It was already afternoon. Itachi had stayed at Kakashi's house all morning installing the data into Sasuke and after that, he had to make lunch and dinner for Kakashi, eating a little of it himself. He had worked all night and morning and the red eyed man was really really exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to collapse onto a bed and sleep, any bed would do.

All of Itachi's sleep plans went down the drain when he entered his house. The living room was a mess. He had forgotten; the mud tracks and all the tools were still lying on the ground. Realizing the bed would have to wait, Itachi sighed and went to the bathroom.

He took a bucket and turned the faucet on, waiting for the bucket to fill with water. As he waited, he could feel his head slowly dozing off on him. A voice snapped him from his sleepy daze, "Umm, is there anything I can do?"

Itachi turned around and then remembered that he did not live alone anymore. A robot lived with him now. This would change a lot of things he was used to. He had lived alone for so long, having another around was so foreign. Itachi only had to deal with Kakashi for about 30 minutes to one hour three times a day. Now, he had a robot to deal with about every single hour of the day.

Itachi said dully to his new roommate, "Just wait until the water fills up. Then carry the bucket to the living room."

"Okay," Sasuke said and Itachi left the bathroom. Probably to get some towels. Sasuke looked at the water filling up the bucket. As he watched the water run, he thought about what had happened to him so far. He had woken up without any knowledge of anything. He didn't know where he was, heck he didn't even know what he was. The first person that had spoken to him was Itachi. Even then he didn't know what the crimson eyed man was saying. It was not until Itachi had gave him knowledge that he finally knew everything. But there was one thing that was still troubling him.

Sasuke turned the water off and carried the bucket to the living room like he was ordered. Itachi came in a few minutes later carrying two towels. He gave one to Sasuke and the two of them went to work, dipping the cloths into the bucket and then scrubbing the floor. As Sasuke worked, he watched Itachi. His hair was tied up now; he probably tied it up when he went to get the towels. Sasuke thought Itachi looked better without the tie. That was when his hair ran wild and free.

Finally daring himself to ask the question, Sasuke said, "So, umm, what kind of robot was I?"

"I don't know," was Itachi's answer as he continued scrubbing the floor. He got a footprint mark off and put his cloth into the bucket, getting some of the dirt off before taking it out and wringing it dry. He then continued on another footprint.

Sasuke scrubbed a little before asking another question, "How did I get here?"

"You came on a UPAS airship. It crashed but where you were headed, I'm not sure. I can only tell you that your memories were blocked off. There's a password that can unlock them but I don't know what it is," came the unemotional response from the long haired man.

The two of them didn't speak for a while now. Itachi was never one to speak and Sasuke just ran out of things to ask him. The robot racked his brain for anything he could ask the silent man. He wanted Itachi to talk more, open up to him. From the moment he could understand what the phrase 'keeping things to oneself' was, Sasuke knew that that was what Itachi was doing. The man was keeping something bottled up, trying to live without expression and emotion and Sasuke knew that was not good. He wanted Itachi to talk more. Maybe smile at least. He didn't know why he was feeling this way. He barely knew the man and yet, he felt sort of attached to him. Maybe it was because Itachi had saved him and gave him knowledge when he was confused as hell. Sasuke remembered what Kakashi had told him.

_Itachi has never smiled before._

Wanting to say something yet not knowing what to say, Sasuke blurted out a random something that came from his mouth, "What's your name?" '_Okay, now that was a dumb thing to say.'_

Itachi looked at him and confusion was apparent in his mind. "You already know my name. Didn't you hear it many times from Kakashi this morning?"

Sasuke, looking really embarrassed from asking that question, said, "I know but I want to hear it from you. You know, like a more formal introduction." He wanted to hear Itachi tell him himself. He didn't know why though.

"Itachi. My name is Itachi," said the graceful man quietly. He then continued to scrub the floor with a nonchalant expression on his face. Sasuke watched him. The way that he had said it, it made Itachi sound really fragile and breakable. It sounded really sad and Sasuke felt a wave of some sort of emotion pass through him. He had emotion chips after all.

"Itachi. That sounds like a beautiful name," Sasuke said outloud. _'A beautiful name to fit someone as beautiful as you.'_

Itachi, not looked up from the floor, said, "It means weasel." Sasuke thought Itachi had a nice voice. It was deep and melodic but for some reason, everything he said was so dull, so impassive. Did that man really not know how to express emotion? _'Or does he not want to express emotion?'_

"Weasel," Sasuke repeated and he searched his mind for what a weasel looked like. A small furry creature came to him. It looked really cute. "It's pretty cute." _'But Itachi's nothing like a weasel. Weasels are playful and mischievous creatures. They like to associate with each other. They express themselves freely.'_ Sasuke looked at the man who was beside him, completely oblivious to everything except the task at hand. His face remained indifferent._ 'Itachi doesn't even allow himself to smile,'_ thought the robot sadly.

As Sasuke was thinking of such thoughts, Itachi was doing some brainwork himself while he scrubbed. _'Out of the hundreds of words I put inside his brain, none was the password. It must be a unique word. Hopefully that word will appear soon. I don't really want him here. I can't tell him to leave though, that would be rude. I've been living alone for so long; I've grown used to not having company. I like this solitary life. Having the robot here is just making me remember things I don't want to remember.'_ Itachi took a quick glance at Sasuke. Yup, that robot would just disrupt the life he had been living for so long. Sasuke had already made him recall many things from his past. It would be best for the robot to just remember everything and get out of his life. That way, everything would go back to the way it was.

'_I didn't have to repair him. I could have just left him outside with the aircraft.'_ The aircraft was fully dissembled now. Most of the pieces were all used to repair the robot and the rest was given to Kakashi so he could dump it properly during his daily trips to Konoha. The man had a car after all. _'But then again, I am too nice. He was in such a sorry state I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't neglect to help him, especially when I knew I could.'_ Still, he didn't want to get too close to the robot, especially when Sasuke was just going to leave once he remembered everything. Itachi wanted to be distant from people, robots included.

After the scrubbing was done, Sasuke took the towels and the bucket to the bathroom to rise them out. Itachi started collecting all the tools that had been used to repair the AIR. He would return them to Kakashi tomorrow. First, the nap he had been wanting for ever since he came home. The emotionless man walked up the stairs after putting all the tools in the toolbox. He went into his room and straight on fell onto the bed. He didn't even bother changing into his sleeping clothes. His muscles hurt and it was too much for his tired body to handle especially since he didn't sleep for the last 24 hours or so. The bed was so comfortable that he instantly fell asleep after falling into it.

Sasuke hung the towels on the bathroom rack to dry. He went back to the living room but the long haired man wasn't there. Nor was he in the kitchen or the dining room. The AIR ascended the stairs and found Itachi in his room, collapsed on the bed fast asleep.

Sasuke smiled. Itachi looked so peaceful sleeping. He had a serene face on. But thinking about his earlier conversation with Kakashi, the robot frowned. The knowledge of Itachi's emotionless façade and trust issues troubled him. The things that Kakashi said this morning also flashed into his mind.

_Itachi has never smiled before._

_...So unemotional that he's like a doll, empty and lifeless. A porcelain doll, pretty to the eyes of people, and yet so hollow and dead._

_...Sometimes I see sadness..._

'_A doll that knew no emotion but sadness, could express no feelings other than misery. Empty, lifeless, hollow, and... alone...'_

It made Sasuke sad, for some reason. Just knowing that this angelic person who must have been one of the greatest creations the gods ever breathed life into, was suffering. From what he had gathered, although Itachi was distant, he was a nice person. He had helped a robot he didn't even know. The impassive man didn't try to put something bad into Sasuke's mind. Instead, he was considerate enough to put the AIR's rights like not having to obey anyone except his creator. He could have turned Sasuke into his slave or servant who had to obey his every will, but he didn't. Itachi was even nice enough to let him stay at his place until he could recover his memories. He didn't repair him and tell him to leave. Even though Sasuke was a robot, Itachi didn't treat him like an object to just repair and return. Surely someone like him did not deserve to go through whatever was tearing at his heart.

Sasuke's face then turned from a sad one to a determined one. He would get Itachi to open up and smile. That was his goal. He knew that as soon as he regained all his memories, he would have to go back to whatever he was but before then, Sasuke vowed that he would do whatever it takes to make Itachi happy. Itachi had saved him and repaired him. He owed the crimson eyed man for his existence now. _'And to show my gratitude, I'll make sure that he smiles at least once before I go. I'll get him to open up and show some emotion. I'll help get rid of the sadness in his heart.'_

And that was the robot's promise. He would help Itachi heal. He would free him from the prison he locked himself in. He would crush down the doll façade and release the trapped angel inside. He would get Itachi to experience happiness. Sasuke would see a smile before he left to go back to whatever he worked as. That was his promise. And he intended to keep that vow.

Sasuke walked out the room and closed the door behind him, leaving the slumbering man in his dreams. Itachi slept on peacefully, unaware of the robot's silent promise.

* * *

Yay, Sasuke vows to make Itachi smile. Such a caring robot. You know, while I was typing this, I couldn't help but think, "This story could also be called 'The Robot's Promise.'" That would be a good title but I think 'Mechanical Heart' is better. Next chapter, Sasuke will put his promise into action in making Itachi smile and open up. Let's see if he fails or succeeds. Place your bets, people. I'm just kidding but until next time. Hopefully my next update will not take as long as this one. Review please.

Hey, I have a question. When I tried to upload this chapter onto the document manager thing, it didn't work. I don't think there was anything wrong with my document because when I tried uploading some of my older chapters that were already on there, it also didn't work. I'm kind of new to this system so I need help. What should I do? It said to send the document to support but I'm not sure how to do that. Can someone help me? That would be appreciated.

Believe me, the only way I could get this chapter in was by improvising and I don't really want to do that for every single chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

Bleh, this chapter took FOREVER. First, it was sooo cold in February that my fingers were freezing and so I kept pressing the wrong keys on the keyboard. Then, there was the tsunami warning. Luckily, I survived it, Yay. Sigh, too bad I got the flu then afterwards. The fever made me so dizzy. About two months, this chapter took. You guys are probably all like, "FINALLY, an update!" I know I'm like that. Yay, finally chapter seven is finished. Enjoy!

* * *

It was quiet. Way too quiet.

Sasuke watched from the dining table as Itachi worked his magic in the kitchen. It was the very next day and in Sasuke's view, was not going so well. So far, Itachi had not uttered a word ever since he got out of bed and Sasuke was getting tired of the silence. There had been no talking last night when Itachi ate his dinner. The AIR had tried many times to start up a conversation but to no avail. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to put it into words. He just didn't know how to get the silent man to talk.

'_If I can't get him to talk, then how am I going to get him to express emotions, let alone smile?'_

Yeah, Sasuke was frustrated. He just didn't know what to do. He made a promise, but at that time it sounded so easy. But now, he knew the truth. It wasn't as easy as he thought. Getting the conserved man to open up was like walking on air, improbable.

'_But not entirely impossible,' _thought Sasuke. No, he would not give up. He made the promise, and he would not back down. Those people who did great things in their lives didn't give up. Sure, they sometimes failed or got off to a bad start, but they never gave up. And neither would Sasuke.

The AIR saw Itachi walk out of the kitchen with two containers. He watched as the crimson eyed man put the two containers into a bag. Itachi looked at the robot that was sitting at the dining table. His eyes conveyed a non-verbal message. Sasuke immediately got the silent message and stood up. They were going to Kakashi's. Before they left the house, Itachi went and grabbed a toolbox. It was the same toolbox that the white haired man had lent him during that night when they found Sasuke.

The slender man approached the robot and said, "Can you carry this?" He lifted up the toolbox a little and Sasuke immediately took it from his hand. Then, the two of them left the house and made their way down the dirt road. As usual, the sky was sunny without a single cloud in sight. The atmosphere was warm and tranquil. The outside air was clean and fresh. Small droplets of dew were visible on the flowers and blades of grass. The tree leaves swayed with the wind. A small breeze blew through Itachi and Sasuke's hair. The robot let the wind run its fingers through his spiky black locks as he gazed into the distance. A meadow stretched throughout the land, filled with grass, flowers, weeds, and the occasional tree. It was a wide expanse of nature's scenery. Sasuke continued admiring the placid landscape as he walked.

The AIR then stopped as something caught his eye. "Hey, Itachi?" The said man stopped his trek and turned around to face the robot, looking up so he could meet the robot's eyes with his own. The wind traced it's fingers through the long ponytail of Itachi's, making it span out and unravel like a ribbon. His bangs and side-locks blew into his face and over his eyes. A pale slim hand raised and brushed the loose ebony strands behind his ear. Other than that small motion, Itachi did nothing else and waited for the robot to continue. His eyes never left the tall figure he was currently standing next to. Sasuke continued, "Are those mountains?" He pointed towards the distance to a group of snow-capped summits that lay far off in the horizon.

Itachi followed the extended finger and looked in the same distance that Sasuke was currently staring off into. He answered the question, "Yes." It was a quiet whispered answer, soft like the breeze that was currently blowing through black, ebony locks.

Indeed, they were mountains. High and proud, they lay miles away from where the two were but that didn't mean the tall, towering figures of nature were not visible. The two stood on the dirt path, looking at the elevated mounds nature created in complete silence. Sasuke was the first one to break that silence. "They're really... glorious... and majestic. In fact, this whole place is. It's just so... so... ahh I can't find the word."

Itachi looked at the robot who was currently tapping his chin with his pointer finger. His eyes were now looking up, obviously a sign that he was thinking hard in trying to find a word to describe what he was seeing right now. The robot's eyebrows were scrunched up and he had too much of a contemplating face on for someone who was only thinking of a right word for the right place. In fact, he was pretty much exaggerating it with the now chin rubbing and more serious look. Yeah, Sasuke was totally exaggerating it. No, he wasn't just exaggerating; he was also making a funny face. A funny face that would have made probably anyone laugh. Too bad it didn't have the same effect on Itachi. The long haired man's face remained emotionless and blank as always but he did respond at least. "Is 'beautiful' the word you're looking for?"

"No, that's not the word. I mean, it looks lovely, but... Beautiful just isn't fit for it," replied the robot. "No, I think the word 'beautiful' is fit for something else." And Sasuke meant what he said. Beautiful was only meant for one thing, or one person in particular. That one word was only for one person, and nothing and no one else. _'That word's for you, Itachi. You're the only one who I think is beautiful. This scenery is nothing compared to you. Nothing... but if only you could smile, then I can see how truly beautiful you are.' _

Sasuke had wanted to say that. He really wanted to, but he didn't and instead said, "Right, back to what we were talking about. What do you think of this place?"

Itachi didn't say anything at first. After a pause, he looked into the distance and replied in his soft voice, "I think it looks nice." He didn't say anything else afterwards. Turning to the direction of Kakashi's house, Itachi started walking down the dirt path, away from the robot. He didn't even look back to see if Sasuke was following him.

Sasuke knew the conversation was over. It ended just as fast as it had began. The robot trailed after Itachi, his head lowered and shoulders slumped as one thought processed in his mind over and over again. _'I failed, again.' _The whole purpose of starting up the conversation about the mountains and scenery was only to get Itachi to talk, to express his thoughts a little. He figured that since they both were looking at the same things, they might as well talk about it. The AIR had wanted to hear the emotionless man share his thoughts at least, if not open up. The funny face that Sasuke had made earlier, when he was exaggerating his thinking, was to try and lessen the tension, to ease the quiet and dense atmosphere that always came with trying to get Itachi to talk. It was also an attempt to get him to smile a little. But, as usual, it didn't work.

Sasuke felt sad. He had tried and failed again to get Itachi to show some emotion. So that was why he was currently slumped with his head lowered. His feet plodded its way through his obvious failure. But the AIR then raised his head as a positive thought flashed through his mind, _'No, I won't give up. I won't get all depressed over an unsuccessful attempt. I'll keep on trying.' _He had made a promise to himself after all, and he didn't intend to break that promise.

Sasuke walked a little more faster to catch up to Itachi. They arrived at the front of the house and the long haired man knocked on the door. Silence. Five minutes later, more silence. Itachi knocked again and five more minutes passed by. Still no Kakashi came to open the door. Itachi grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it but couldn't. The door was locked with still no one to open it. Curious, Sasuke asked, "Why isn't he opening the door?"

"He must have left for Konoha." To prove his point, Itachi went down the porch steps and made his way to the back of the house. Sasuke followed after him.

When they were at the back, the robot asked, "Why are we over here?" The long haired man didn't answer him immediately; instead looked around the back, surveying his surroundings.

'_Kakashi's car is missing. He did go to Konoha,' _thought Itachi. And he was right. One way to tell if the white haired man was gone was by looking for his car. If the car was gone, then Kakashi had driven it to Konoha. He couldn't walk there because it was a couple of miles away. Also, some of the supplies the man brought home was heavy and he needed the vehicle otherwise it would be torture to carry all those things while walking for miles just to get home.

"Umm, Itachi?" The robot was getting rather confused and worried. The silent man still had not answered his question. The crimson eyed man gave a quick glance at the robot before he extended his arm and reached for the doorknob of the back door. Sasuke half expected for the door to be locked but was surprised when it opened. Itachi entered the house without a second thought and Sasuke willingly followed after him. They made their way through the kitchen and the hallway. Itachi stopped in the living room and he set down the food on the table. The AIR set the toolbox he had been carrying in the corner before asking, "Why wasn't the back door locked?"

"Kakashi never locks his back door. No other people are around for miles away. It's practically useless to even have locks if no one's going to enter in and steal. But he locks his front door just in case. However I say it's stupid to just lock the front and not the back. Why not lock both doors, or not lock them at all," said Itachi. He took a seat on the couch. Sasuke hesitated a little but made up his mind and took a seat on the same couch, right next to Itachi. The emotionless man continued, "The back door is for times like this, when I wake up a little late and Kakashi's already gone on his daily trip. Most times when I request for something to be bought, I usually wait in his house until he comes back."

"Seems like you two have a steady routine going," suggested Sasuke. Itachi nodded. The robot, seeing as how this was another great chance to try and start up a conversation, continued, "It's weird how despite how well you two communicate and work with each other, Kakashi still claims to not know you at all."

Sasuke said that just to get Itachi to slip up and reveal something about his past. He figured that if he was to bring up the fact that Kakashi didn't know anything about him despite knowing him for so long, it might cause Itachi to feel some compassion for the white haired man and thus reveal something; just as he had revealed that he was from Konoha that one time. That would help greatly in slowly getting the man to express emotions.

Too bad it didn't work. Itachi was a master when it came to putting on an emotionless façade. He was an expert at building invisible walls as much as he was an expert in robots and technology. He wouldn't snap that easily, and Sasuke knew this. Which was why he didn't say anything to the robot's earlier remark and instead chose to stare blankly at his fingers, face not betraying anything. It was official, Sasuke had failed again. A few minutes passed with both of them in complete silence, sitting and looking at random things in the living room. Itachi was still staring at his entwined fingers that were now on his lap. His fingers were in constant motion, twisting against the others in a small graceful dance. Sasuke just looked around the place, taking in all the pieces of furniture with all their colors and then comparing it to Itachi's living room. It was apparent that both of them were feeling a little uncomfortable, being all alone in a house in complete silence.

'_Maybe I should do something, or say something at least; anything to get rid of all this tension,' _thought Sasuke. He was thinking of things to say in a situation like this when he saw Itachi move from his sitting position. The slender man stood up and disappeared around a corner. He moved without a sound and with such grace too. Sasuke didn't even hear footsteps at all. But he had to wonder, _'Where's he going?' _

Itachi returned a few minutes later carrying something. It was a mug of coffee and a fork. The AIR watched as the apathetic man set the two things on the coffee table, sat back down on the same spot on the couch, and proceeded to take something out of the bag of food. He took out a container and opened it. Inside was fried rice, freshly made just about half an hour ago. Itachi held the container closer to him and dug in with his fork. He scooped the rice out and ate it. The next 20 minutes was spent with Itachi eating and Sasuke doing nothing. A couple of times, the long haired man would put the container down and drink out of the mug. Then, he would resume eating the fried rice.

After Itachi was through eating, Sasuke said with an amused smile, "You know, I actually expected you to wait until Kakashi came home before eating."

"There's no rule stating I have to always eat with him. Nor is there anything saying that I have to wait until he gets home before eating," answered Itachi. He placed the container back into the bag and took the mug and fork to the kitchen to wash them.

Then, he went to a supply closet and took out a first aid kit and a pair of scissors. He returned to the living room and there, set the kit on the table. The AIR still sat on the couch without making a sound, watching the smaller man, observing his graceful motions and soundless movements. Itachi turned to the robot and ordered, "Take off your shirt."

Now this order surprised Sasuke greatly. Of all the things Sasuke thought Itachi would say to him, he had not expected that. The robot couldn't help but cry out a loud and confused, "What!!" His mind tried assessing the situation. _'Why would he want me to take off my shirt?'_ The AIR's eyes traveled from the man in front of him, who was probably waiting patiently for him to comply to the command, to the first aid kit on the table. His mind made the connection. _'Oh, I get it.' _When he saw that Itachi was still staring at him and waiting, Sasuke replied, "Uhh, right." He grabbed the bottom of the shirt and tugged it off his head. Once the article of clothing was gone, Itachi could see all the bandages underneath. It had already been one day so he had to change them.

The crimson eyed man grabbed the scissors and scooted closer to the AIR. They were both on the couch, facing each other. Itachi leaned closer until he was a few inches away from the robot's bandaged chest. He took the scissors and carefully cut a part of the bandage. The whole strip of cloth began to unravel and Itachi slowly peeled the white covering from the skin of the chest with his fingers. He worked carefully and cautiously, eyes never leaving his task. Sasuke, however, wasn't really interested in the bandages. His eyes were more focused on Itachi. He scrutinized the slender man, taking in all his features; the blood red eyes that were focused and concentrated on the task at hand, the mouth that was set into a thin line, and the fingers, so nimble and skillful. _'Everything he does is so graceful,' _thought the robot as he continued observing the smaller man in front of him.

The bandages were all discarded on the table by now and Itachi was taking in how much had healed in that one day. Some muscle flesh had regenerated and the lacerations were not as bad as yesterday. The huge tears were starting to close in with the stitches. But that was expected since robot flesh did heal more faster than regular human flesh. Their biological parts was sustained with nanotechnology after all, so different than the normal consume and digest process humans used.

'_It makes me wonder if robots are more preferred than humans. They can run up to 120 years with their existing power cells and be immune to disease or massive damage. They're strong, intelligent, and the NAIRs know nothing but complete obedience, more loyal and complying than a dog. Robots were created to be perfect, but everything man-made has flaws. Just like humans have flaws, their creations also possess the same characteristics. Even technology is not perfect, no matter how unblemished people think it is. And I should know...' _thought Itachi. _'Great, I'm thinking about the past again. I swear, this robot...' _Red eyes darted up for a fast second to the AIR's face before returning to the pale chest. _'As long as I don't get too close to him, and too influenced...' _was Itachi's last thought before he stopped his wandering mind. His attention came back to the task at hand which was deciding over whether to remove some of the stitches or not.

Itachi reached his hand out and ran his fingers over one of the stitched cuts. It was a light feathery touch, barely able to be felt but Sasuke felt it. He watched as Itachi slowly moved his fingers to feel the robot's warm chest. The crimson eyed man could picture in his mind all the hydraulic servomechanisms that made up the robot's strong build and steel endoskeleton, a chrome skeleton. As Itachi's brain filled with cybernetic knowledge, Sasuke's brain came up with some other things. _'His touch is so gentle, his face so untroubled. He looks like he's at peace, with no problems or regrets; just an ordinary man living in a life full of nature, but that's not really it. He should be happy, yet he's not. Something's tearing at his heart. Something is making him suffer. I wish I could find out what it is. Then, I could help him. If only he would tell me...' _the robot inferred. His onyx eyes never left the face of the man he wanted so much to smile. Those eyes, soft and caring, showed all his emotions for Itachi. It told of how he felt for the man, every single thing down to the last detail if one was to look close enough. So what if he was a robot, he knew what human emotions were, and he could feel them too. Just because he was made out of metal doesn't mean that he was cold and hard as the solid alloy. He could feel happiness, sadness, fear, longing, anger, pain, etc. His eyes were not blank and empty orbs of obsidian. They could show emotion, just like he could show emotion as well, especially towards a certain someone by the name of Itachi. Too bad it couldn't be said the same for Itachi towards Sasuke. Those garnet eyes held nothing, just blank emptiness. Oh how Sasuke wanted to see something in those eyes, anything, to signify that this man was alive inside as he was out.

Itachi removed his hand from the robot's chest as he came to the conclusion that it was too soon to remove the stitches. They could be left on for another day or two. He turned to the first aid kit on the table and took out a new roll of bandages.

Sasuke didn't say anything, slowly starting to miss the gentle touch of the other. That touch signified, to him, the only gesture of caring that Itachi had towards Sasuke. It showed that Itachi, despite his dead inner feelings, did have something that was slightly known as care. He cared enough to check on the robot's wounds to see if they had healed. He cared enough to give him a place to stay while he still didn't remember his home. He cared enough to want the best for the AIR without memories. And Sasuke relished in that small notion of care.

Itachi had no idea what the robot was thinking at the time. He wasn't a mind reader. He certainly didn't know how important he was to the AIR. And he didn't know how hard the robot was trying to help him. Just like with Kakashi, his only goal was to not get too close to people, to not understand them, and to not let them understand him. He had built a wall, and he wasn't going to let it crumble. The slender man began unraveling the roll of bandages. The white strip of cloth was then put onto the warm chest and wrapped around. Itachi continued wrapping the robot's chest, arms coming around the back as he slid the roll around the soft flesh.

During the whole session, both of them had not talked nor made eye contact. This was because Itachi had not looked up. When they are sitting, Itachi's eyes could only see Sasuke's neck while looking straight. He would have to look up in order to see the robot's face, something he had avoided doing. He knew the robot's eyes were on him; he knew he was being stared at. And he didn't want to have to deal with the AIR's unnerving gaze.

Once Itachi was done wrapping Sasuke's chest, he took the scissors and cut the strip of cloth, tying the excess amount around so that the wrapping would not come loose. He put the remaining strips back into the kit and closed it. Then, turning back to the robot, Itachi finally got the guts to look at the AIR's face. It had been rude to avoid eye contact when someone was giving you their full attention. And in all the while the robot had been staring at him, Itachi thought it was about time he looked at Sasuke's face. He lifted up his head and crimson met onyx.

Itachi was struck speechless. It wasn't because of Sasuke's face, or the look that he was giving him. No, it was because of the eyes. The black ebony eyes held so much emotions, displayed so outwardly that Itachi could see them all. They were there, and the man felt like they were all being conveyed towards him. The eyes were so soft, so caring, that Itachi thought he was seeing things. _'I might be imagining things,'_ he thought but somewhere in his mind, he knew he wasn't. Those unspoken things, conveyed with just black glassy eyes, showed everything. He felt as though those eyes were drilling into his soul, invading his personal space and surrounding him, and that scared him. Itachi quickly averted his eyes, moving them to stare at the table. _'I didn't see anything, I was just imagining it,' _the crimson eyed man told himself. The great rush of emotions he saw scared him. Those unknown emotions just made something in him break, to have so much being conveyed, given to him, he couldn't take it all in. Itachi unconsciously began to clutch his arm. He had lived without emotions, grown used to seeing people without emotions, that such a large amount of feeling was too much for him. He feared that his walls would break, would crumble, and he would be weak again. And those eyes had just drilled into those walls.

Sasuke saw the troubled expression on Itachi's face and he began to worry. He had no idea what he had done to make Itachi look so fragile, so breakable, but he felt responsible for it. The robot uttered, "I'm sorry." And he meant it. He didn't want Itachi to be afraid of him. He didn't want to make him uneasy.

Itachi's mind cleared of his previous thoughts as soon as he heard the soft apology. Building up his resolve again, he answered, "Why are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong." His hand stopped clutching his arm and his face became blank again. The façade was back on. _'I'm okay. He just caught me off guard. It won't happen again. I won't show weakness like that ever again,' _he assured himself.

The robot moved to say something, but decided against it and instead became silent. He decided to just let it go. But deep inside, he found out something. _'Itachi may look strong and unbreakable on the outside with his blank and inexpressive manner, but that's just a mask. It's just like a suit of armor, hard and indomitable with the outer exterior, but inside, the human whose wearing the armor is vulnerable and easily wounded. The armor is protection against outside forces. Itachi's mask is to protect him from getting hurt. He's actually really delicate behind all the layers of indifference. So fragile and breakable, that something so little can shatter him. Exactly like a porcelain doll. If you drop the doll, it would break. If you're not careful with Itachi, he would shatter.' _Sasuke had just witnessed how frail the silent man was, how different he was than the person people perceive him to be. And he wanted to change that. _'I really want to help him.' _

The two of them sat in complete silence, trying to forget what had just happened. Their eyes were averted and Itachi had moved to the opposite end of the couch, a couple of feet from Sasuke. They sat in the quiet house deep in their own thoughts. No one spoke and no sound was uttered from the tense atmosphere. It was starting to get really awkward. Sasuke stole a glance at Itachi. The quiet man had his face turned away from the robot and was currently looking out the window. The AIR wanted to say something, but again had nothing to say. _'Damn, this is starting to become a habit,' _Sasuke concluded. _'I could ask about what happened earlier, why he looked so scared and uneasy when he looked at me. No, I shouldn't. He might still be uncomfortable about the subject. I'll ask him tomorrow, or some other day.'_

A soft clicking sound caught the attention of the two who were on the couch. It was the sound of a door being unlocked and opened. _'Kakashi's back,' _was the immediate thought of the two residents of the house as the third moved to join them in the living room.

When Kakashi entered his living room with bags of recent purchases in his hands, the first thing he saw was Itachi and Sasuke, both on his couch, sitting on the far ends and completely ignoring the other's presence. The tension in the atmosphere was also undeniably noticeable, also was the silence. Only one word could explain what Kakashi was feeling when he entered the room: AWKWARD. "Hmm, you two are... quiet."

"It's only been one day," answered Sasuke when it was obvious that Itachi was not going to say anything.

'_Hopefully I do not have to come back every single day with this kind of tension in my house. It's bad for the body and mind.' _The white haired man moved to put his shopping bags down on the table. "So, anyways, I went to Konoha, disposed of the UPAS parts, just like you asked Itachi, bought some things, and I also checked around for reports of missing robots at the police station."

"Is that why you took so long? It's practically the afternoon now," joked Sasuke.

"Did you find anything?" This time, it was Itachi who asked. So like him to be concentrated only on the important matters.

"No, all the descriptions of the missing robots didn't match Sasuke's at all," declared Kakashi.

"That gives us nothing to work with," said Itachi silently.

"Oh come on, Sasuke's only just arrived. His friends must still not know he's missing. Anyways, it's not bad, having him here. The more the merrier, right," said Kakashi with a smile. He, like Sasuke, was trying to get rid of the tense atmosphere.

'_You have no idea...' _Itachi's mind told him. But he didn't say anything and instead leaned his cheek onto his palm, with his elbow on the armrest. An obvious sign that he was bored despite never voicing out his emotions. Sasuke looked at the silent man again, trying to find out more about him but of course, found it hard to do so.

Kakashi looked at the two of them sitting on the couch, trying to figure out a way to get the two of them to get comfortable with each other. Or at least talk to each other. He found it very difficult to do because a sound from somewhere interrupted his thoughts. It was a sound that came out of nowhere, cut into the silence, and managed to snag the attention of all three who were in the room. A mysterious sound, yet easily identified.

_GGGGrrrrrooowwwwllll_

Two pairs of eyes, one crimson, the other onyx, turned to stare at Kakashi. The white haired man stared back, then lowered his gaze to his stomach.

_GGGGrrrrrooowwwwllll_

"Oops, heh, my bad. I forgot how hungry I was," said the man guilty of making the growling noises with a sheepish grin. Sasuke let out a laugh. He had actually thought the growling was some unknown predator. For a moment, it had scared him, but who knew it was only Kakashi's stomach. The robot stared at the embarrassed man with an amused smirk. Itachi even gave a stare of his own, despite not conveying any emotion through the gaze. He did, however, push the forgotten container of food towards the hungry man. As soon as Kakashi saw the food, his eyes immediately gleamed and within two seconds, had the container in his hands and was rushing to the kitchen to get silverware to eat it. The two on the couch kept their eyes on the masked man's movements until he disappeared completely around the corner. And Sasuke could swear, if he had blinked, then he would have completely missed all the action. Damn, that man could move fast, especially when he was hungry for food.

'_Now that was entertaining,' _thought the AIR as he leaned back on the couch. He looked to his right and glanced at the only other person in the room. There sat Itachi, still the same as ever, with that graceful manner and bewitching beauty, yet all covered up by a fortified barrier, programmed to let no one in. But Sasuke would change that, whether it be tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or the day after that. He would do something before he left, something...

Itachi suddenly stood up and looked back at the robot, eyes conveying the message. Seriously, Itachi really liked to say things with just looks. But that was probably because he never liked talking too much. He started walking away and Sasuke, getting the message, turned to follow the smaller man out. They were going home.

'_Today wasn't a bad start. At least I tried. I'll just try again tomorrow,' _thought the AIR as he followed Itachi out the house. Yes, he would try again. And if not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow, and if not then the day after that. He would keep on trying, and the robot would not give up on Itachi. He would succeed, no matter how long it took. Sasuke was stubborn, after all, and whatever he had set his mind to do, he would do it, no matter what the cost.

'_I'll never give up.'_

* * *

Noooo, Sasuke failed on the first try. But luckily, he's going to try again, how sweet is that? It's sad that Itachi doesn't know how hard Sasuke is trying, or even what he is doing. But Sasuke isn't going to give up. OH MY GOD, I was coughing the whole time while I was proof-reading. Hopefully, my cold will go away; it sucks to get sick. Next chapter might take more longer than this one, I don't know. It depends if I can recover from my cold fast enough. Next chapter, I don't think there's going to be much. Oh wait, yeah, the crimson eyes of wrath will be introduced in the next chapter and Sasuke will finally take his first step to fulfilling his promise. Everyone cheer him on. Go for it, Sasuke!

Review PLEASE! I'm begging you to.


	8. Chapter 8

I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I appreciate all the people who waited so patiently for the next chapter, thank you for that. It's just that my sickness apparently caused my stomach to hate me. I couldn't hold anything in and even if I could, it was only a few bites. Even after my flu passed, I was like this for several weeks. It was horrible!!! I couldn't eat anything without wanting to barf!!! Grrr!!! I'm fine now, yay.

Did anyone check out the cover page for this story? If not, check it out. The link's on my profile. Other than that, please proceed with chapter eight.

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"Oh, it's a great city, Konoha. There's so much things to do, so many sights to see. Even the tourists always complain about not having enough time to fully enjoy the city," said Kakashi cheerfully as he took another bite of his pancakes. After chewing the soft flat piece of cake sweetened with maple syrup, he continued, "Seriously, Konoha has it all."

"I can imagine myself living there, actually. To tell you the truth, I wonder what kinds of things I did there," answered Sasuke from across Kakashi. Itachi picked at his pancakes with his fork, stabbing holes into the pastry and ripping off pieces of the cake. Once in a while, he would put the pieces into his mouth. He didn't seem to be interested in the conversation that was going on around him.

It was a little later in the morning and the three of them were sitting on the dining table, currently eating breakfast. Kakashi sat on one side while the other two occupied the other. Well, Itachi and Kakashi were eating and since Sasuke didn't have to eat, he was entertaining himself by asking Kakashi about Konoha, trying to learn more about the city he came from.

"I remember, one time when I was little, I took this hoverboard and I flew it through the transportation tubes. Hah, that was the most thrilling experience I ever had. The compressed air in the tube made me travel 10 times more faster than what my board could attempt. Man, that was awesome. Having the wind whistling through my hair as I rode through the greatest obstacle tunnel ever," said Kakashi as he reminisced about his youthful days. Sasuke was awed by the story. Just hearing it made him want to try it out himself and it spiked up his interest.

Itachi, however, had a different reaction. He choked, badly. One hand came to cover his mouth while the other held onto his neck as his throat closed up. He began coughing loudly, desperately trying to ease the pressure in his pharynx. His crimson eyes squeezed shut and his eyebrows scrunched up as he felt his throat constrict.

The coughing got the AIR's attention and he immediately turned to Itachi and asked, "Are you okay?" His voice was laced with concern and his eyes filled with worry. He reached out a hand and gripped the shaking man's shoulder, steadying him while the long haired male coughed desperately into his hand. In his head, Sasuke could feel his brain bursting out alarm bells for the man convulsing ever so slightly next to him. The hand tightened a little around the small shoulder. Onyx eyes never left or strayed away from the man adjacent to him.

"Here, drink some milk," suggested Kakashi as he pushed the glass containing the white liquid to Itachi. The slender man took the glass and downed the contents. He then let out a few more coughs while trying to clear his throat. After a few seconds, the pressure eased gradually and Itachi steadied his breathing. His hand stayed on his throat though, just in case.

"Are you alright," the robot asked once more. He refused to let go of Itachi's shoulder, keeping his hand gently latched on until he was sure that Itachi was alright. The choking and coughing fit did come out unexpectedly. And he never thought the smaller man was the kind to choke; he was eating his food so slowly. Barely taking big bites, unlike Kakashi, who was wolfing it down while he talked. The sudden hacking caught his attention and to know that it was coming from Itachi, made his emotion chips switch from its normal settings of calmness to concern within a nanosecond.

"I'm fine," answered the man the AIR had been so CONCERNED about, over a little choking. He noticed that Sasuke still had his hand gripped on his shoulder and looked at the AIR, wondering when the robot was going to let go. Sasuke immediately let go of Itachi's shoulder after seeing the man look at him in an odd way. He felt a little uncomfortable, getting all worked up all for a matter so small like choking. Of course, people have died from choking before but that was only for chicken bones or hard boiled eggs swallowed whole. Someone dying from choking on a pancake, little to no possibility. In slight embarrassment, the robot lowed his head, finding the situation very... weird, well for him, that is.

'_It was a little choking. It wasn't as though he was going to die, or anything. I shouldn't have gotten that worried. What is with me? I'm just overreacting, yeah, that's it. It's impulsiveness and spontaneous behavior that I will not think about any further, otherwise I will get more embarrassed. And that wouldn't help the situation.'_

"So, where were we? Oh yeah, I was talking about my tube surfing days," said Kakashi, wanting to continue on with the subject.

He was unable to say anything afterwards because Itachi, surprisingly, interjected him after staying out of the conversation for so long. "It was you who flew that hoverboard through the tube?"

"Huh, wait, you knew of that incident?" Crimson eyes narrowed slightly and Kakashi could tell that Itachi did know of what happened. The white haired man let out a nervous chuckle and his eyes turned once more to up-side down 'U's. "Uh yeah, that was me." Itachi's unnerving gaze made him a little uneasy.

"Last I recall, you made 15,000 people late for work and school. About 50 people were hospitalized and 100 more got stuck in the junction tubes connecting to the main stream system for up to 4 hours. About 70 people lost their jobs after being late for 5 hours and 200 were transported to various areas of the city that wasn't their intended destination. The rest of them got holed up in the biggest traffic jam of the year." Itachi crossed his arms after stating all the facts to Kakashi. His voice was cold and emotionless throughout his declaration.

'_Woah, did Kakashi really do all that,' _wondered the AIR. Who knew flying a hoverboard through a transport tube could cause that much damage? _'I should be angry at him, for making so many people suffer. But then again, it's fun watching him squirm under Itachi's gaze.' _Sasuke let out a smile after seeing Kakashi obviously sweatdrop before the crimson eyes of wrath. They were blank, but just having them stare so silently at you, could make a man uncomfortable. And Kakashi was way into being uncomfortable; he was frickin' fidgeting. This made Sasuke smile, just watching Kakashi's reaction.

"Heh, heh. Who knew you actually knew of it, and to remember it so detailed and precise. Heh...," answered Kakashi nervously. His one visible eye slowly glanced up at the crimson eyes drilling holes into him. The man had guts, to meet those eyes. But did he have the endurance to bear it. Kakashi was sweatdropping now. He squirmed in his seat, wanting to look at whatever he could find in the room other than those glaring red eyes.

At about this time, Sasuke started to feel sorry for the white haired man. _'He's not gonna be able to take it any longer,' _thought the AIR. Unbeknownst to him, Itachi was thinking along the same lines as well.

And they were right. Kakashi couldn't take it any longer. "Please stop staring at me like that," he begged. "I'll do anything." There was an extremely desperate look in his eye. It was as though Kakashi would do anything to keep the crimson eyes of wrath from ever torturing him under their cold, icy glare. Sasuke was lucky the eyes were not directed to him. Otherwise he knew he would be SCREWED, just like Kakashi was now.

Itachi breathed a tired sigh and closed his eyes, bringing relief to the man sitting across from him, who just a few minutes ago, was fidgeting like hell. He had to admit, Kakashi's begging face actually made him take pity on the poor soul who had made about 15,000 people suffer for that one unfortunate day that they decided to take the transport tubes. He was too nice. "It happened so long ago; there's no point in reparations or indemnity being done now," the slender man mentioned at last.

It was very noticeable that Kakashi's face beamed after that small statement. His eye turned back into the up-side down 'U' and he said in a grateful tone, "Oh, thank you so much Itachi! Don't worry, I've already learned my lesson. I'll never do something like that again, I promise." He held his hand up as a symbolic swear to show he was not joking. Kakashi's voice turned back to it's cheerful, carefree type and his whole body relaxed after he found out that Itachi was not going to punish him for his sophomoric actions from so long ago.

"You should be grateful they never found the one responsible for the tube stunt. About three-fourths of the people caught in the incident wanted to sue the one responsible. The rest wanted to beat you up or kill you. Some even wanted you in jail. You were all over the news as most wanted," finished Itachi as he leaned back into his chair and went on to eat his pancakes.

"Yeah, I guess I was kind of lucky. I was traveling so fast they couldn't see me clearly. The only thing the cameras captured was a black and white blur. Heh, they eventually got over it," replied Kakashi with a sheepish grin as his hand reached over to scratch the back of his neck, a clear sign he was a little embarrassed.

"After one and a-half years," interjected Itachi, "When the police didn't find anything and all the damage was paid over by the government."

Kakashi laughed nervously as he continued scratching the back of his neck. "You know, it's amazing you actually remembered all the statistics of the incident. I couldn't even remember how much people were involved in that incident. And I should know, since it was my fault."

"The reason I remembered...," Itachi lowed his head and let his bangs cover his red eyes. He stared straight at Kakashi. The white haired man met his eyes, curious as to why Itachi would remember something like that when almost everyone else forgot after about two years. The emotionless man continued in a quiet, low voice, "Was because I was one of those 15,000 pitiable souls that suffered a wretched fate that day when some idiot decided to fly a hoverboard." His eyes narrowed with every word said through slightly clenched teeth.

"Oh, I see. That's why you remembered it so well," said Sasuke who had been silent up until now. The AIR glanced at Kakashi and couldn't help the small smile that had arisen on his lips. The man was gulping and sweatdropping again. The normally narrow eyes had doubled their size and he had a nervous frown on, like one that would appear on a child when he is caught reaching his hand inside the cookie jar when he's not supposed to. _'I really do feel sorry for him.'_

Kakashi gulped before he dared to open his mouth to ask the question, "You're not mad at me, are you?" He shrunk back into his seat. Sure, Kakashi was much taller and had a bigger frame than Itachi, but Itachi had something that could make even grown men shriek. The crimson eyes of wrath, one stare and you will forever be traumatized and hypnotized to look behind your back in fear of them following your every movements. Kakashi had never seen Itachi pissed, and he hoped that he would not in his lifetime. If just glaring was able to get him off edge, who knows what would happen if Itachi was REALLY angry.

"It was a long time ago, like I said. I'm not one to hold a grudge," answered Itachi calmly. He finished off his pancakes and put his fork down. The slender man crossed his arms on the table and chose to stare at the tablecloth in front of him. By then, Kakashi was about done with his share of breakfast. He didn't have anything to say after admitting that he was responsible for the hoverboard incident and the robot, again, couldn't think of anything to say. The three sat in silence for what was about the umpteenth time. Seriously, if they weren't going to warm up to each other, the tension and awkwardness was one day going to kill them.

'_I said I was going to try again. And I'm not going to back down... But what can I say to get him to talk. The whole conversation about Konoha was to get him involved; it worked, didn't it. Not in the way I planned for it to, but he did say something at least. Maybe I should ask him about robots, he knows all about them. So he'll answer my question, at least. Then he can talk.' _The AIR stole a glance at the long haired man sitting next to him. His glassy onyx eyes turned soft and somewhat sad. _'Just looking at him, he seems so sad and distant. I don't want him to be distant. He's so close, yet so far away. So closed off. Heh, how ironic. He's right next to me, and yet I can never reach him. I can never breach those walls... no, stop thinking negatively. I can do this. I said I would not give up, and I won't.'_

"Uhh, I... um... just have a random question. Err... I know the answer but... to get a conversation going..." started Sasuke uncertainly. Itachi turned his head and let his eyes meet the robot's to say that he was paying attention. Kakashi did the same thing. Both wanted the tension gone, and if starting a discussion was going to get rid of it, then so be it. When Sasuke saw that he could continue, he asked, "Can robots get tired?"

Kakashi, after hearing the question and not quite understanding it, said, "Of what?"

"Physically, I mean. Like say, get overworked," clarified Sasuke. _'I feel so stupid asking this question. I'm a robot so I should know. Still, if it works, then we can get a conversation going instead of having to deal with this deathlike silence. And this would help get rid of the uncomfortable feelings that he has. If Itachi can warm up to me, then it would be much more easier to fulfill my promise. If I can break through those barriers... Talking's the first step.' _

Itachi let his eyes linger on the AIR for a while longer as he stayed quiet. Inside his head, however, '_... the lengths a robot would go to start a conversation...' _Oh well, it was pointless to try to understand why. Besides, Itachi was not the type to not answer a question even if it was spontaneous so he gave it in the most simplified way possible. "No."

"I could have guessed it. Robots are machines. Of course they can't get tired. Just like a vacuum cleaner doesn't suddenly stop and say, 'I'm exhausted.' That would be funny to see, though," said Kakashi. He smiled to himself at the mental picture.

"Actually, robots can't get tired but they can tell when they're overworked. It's with their artificial intelligence. Any decent working AIR would be able to distinguish when they're working too hard," said Itachi. "Just like AIRs know when they are injured even if they cannot feel pain, they are aware if their servomechanisms are worn out. They might not feel tired and could possibly work until they break down but their programmed consciousness does alert them when it is time to stop."

"Oh yeah, there's something I've been meaning to ask you Itachi. You remember in the beginning when you put all that information into Sasuke, how did you do that? I mean, in order to install something, don't you need a disk or a program? I've never seen someone install something without a basis or foundation to use," asked Kakashi.

Itachi spoke without a second to think, "That's only because I know NPL. Natural Language Processing, it's a field of computer science and linguistics associated with the interactions between computers and human languages. NLGs, or Natural Language Generation systems convert information from computer databases into readable human language and vise versa. NLG systems are advanced programs with a wide range of assortment and only very little technology specialists are able to transliterate human expressions into diverse codes understandable by machines."

Kakashi froze for a few minutes after Itachi finished. He stayed silent and instead continued to stare straight at the crimson eyed man. Then, slowly, he opened his mouth and said in a sluggish tone, "Yeah, I didn't get that." Itachi lowered is eyelids a little and met the white haired man's one-eyed stare with his own two eyes. His face stayed blank, however. Kakashi, seeing as though this meant he had to explain himself, said, "I really did not understand a thing you said."

"Natural Language Understanding, a subtopic of Natural Language Processing in artificial intelligence that deals with machine reading comprehension, is a process that translates data into machine comprehensible input codes. I took the information, translated it into serial codes, and inputted them into Sasuke easily," explained Itachi slowly to make sure that Kakashi got the meaning of what he was trying to say.

Sasuke sighed when he saw Kakashi's confused face still on. _'He still doesn't get it?' _"Here, let me try," the robot said to Itachi. The slender man met his eyes to signify for him to continue. "Okay, everything, every word, saying, or command, has a specific code when it is inputted into robots. Information takes the form of numerical and alphabetical sequences when inside a robot's programming. Usually, the codes are stored inside programs so that once you insert the disk in, you can download them into the robot. But you can also hand-input the codes in which will be received by the robot's CPU and translated into human words and thoughts by the robot's NLGs." Sasuke paused after finishing his statement, watching Kakashi's face to see if it was changing from confused to understand.

"Oh, I get it. So every word in the human language is actually a series of numbers and alphabetical letters in terms of the robots," said Kakashi while nodding his head and rubbing his chin with his pointer finger. His eyes had a far away look in them. Itachi gave a nod to say that his statement was correct.

"And when you look at a robot's brain when connected to a computer, there's nothing but codes each standing for a certain type of information," declared Kakashi. Another nod from the apathetic man told him he was heading in the right direction.

"So you inputted codes into Sasuke and his brain translated them into intelligible thoughts of the human language," stated Kakashi. His finger had moved from rubbing his chin to pointing straight up into the air as he repeated what Sasuke had told him. Another nod was what he got as his answer.

"And that's how you inputted knowledge into Sasuke without using a program or disk," exclaimed Kakashi as he FINALLY got what Itachi had been trying to tell him. "I get it."

'_Finally, he gets it,' _thought Itachi and Sasuke. _'That took long.' _

"In other words, what Itachi was typing on that computer that day were codes each representing information; so he was putting information into my head which I stored as memory. I can't believe you didn't get that until now," said Sasuke. _'That guy's kinda dumb. I got it with the first explanation. But I guess not everyone is that smart around here.'_

Kakashi had gotten the gist of what the AIR was implying. And he was not happy with it. "Hey, I didn't study robotics nor am I a robot myself. How was I suppose to know what NLGs or natural processing generating whatevers were? Come to think of it, why didn't you just give me a simple explanation like the ones I used or the one that Sasuke used? Wouldn't that have been more easier to say?"

"No," was Itachi's simple answer. He raised his arm and laid his elbow on the table, resting his cheek against his palm. The crimson eyes had a far away look in them as he focused them downward in an expression of boredom.

"No, duh. Both statements have the same meaning, concepts visible with both explanations. It's just that you didn't get it, that's all," declared Sasuke. The AIR glanced at Itachi and saw that red eyes were gazed at him as well. A silent message was exchanged when onyx orbs met crimson ones and both could tell that what was said was exactly what the other was thinking of. Itachi would not say it because he didn't want to be rude and so Sasuke voiced it out.

'_It's amazing how two minds think alike,'_ was the thought that ran through both of the black haired men sitting next to each other. When Itachi noticed that he was becoming a little too familiar with the robot, he averted his gaze to the window, pretending to be interested in something from outside. Sasuke, however, kept his eyes on the man next to him. The AIR didn't want to look away yet, but he had no idea why.

Itachi couldn't help but have a small thought float into his mind as he gazed out the window, not at all oblivious to the stare the robot was giving him. _'I wonder if he was thinking the same thing I was thinking of earlier.' _Unbeknownst to him, Sasuke was thinking somewhere along the same lines as well. It was like the two of them had some telepathic connection in that small moment of time.

While the two were having their little small inside thoughts, the third member of the group was feeling a little left out. It seemed as though Itachi and Sasuke were having silent conversations and acting all in sync with each other. Not to mention they were making all these retorts that only sounded in agreement with the other. When he finally realized it, Kakashi literally slapped himself mentally. _'They're messing with me, I know it. Trying to confuse me with all these fancy words and cybernetic terms. Making me look dumb.' _Kakashi gave a cold stare at the man in front of him, still staring out the window, looking as though without a care in the world. The white haired man moved his angry glare to the robot, looking ever so innocent sitting next to Itachi. _'Hmph, first it's with Itachi and his I'm-more-smarter-than-you talk, then it's Sasuke with his I-can't-believe-you're-that-dumb expression. God, it's like those two are working together behind my back. They have some sort of alliance with each other, and they've only met for about what, five days. And why is Sasuke still staring at Itachi anyways? Itachi already broke eye contact. Wait, staring... hmm... I wonder... Just what is that robot thinking of?' _

But of course, Kakashi was not a mind reader nor was he good at guessing. Itachi wasn't telepathic either. Both could not guess what was going on in the robot's mind as he watched Itachi. But Sasuke knew just what his brain was cooking up, and no one in the room knew that deep inside, the AIR was silently rejoicing in his secret victory.

'_It worked. It actually worked. Posing that question really did get Itachi to talk more. And not only that, when we were saying those things in agreement with each other, it... it felt as though we were very close... It was like, in that very moment, there was something there... Something, that made me feel... Ahh, I can't explain it. I can't put it into words. I just know that, in that very moment, when his eyes met mine, I could tell that he felt comfortable with me. It was like he accepted me; he let me through those walls for a short while. I felt it. I know it was there. We actually had something we could relate to and I felt all the tension and awkward feeling disappear in that one moment. We answered each other, in our minds. And I feel as though Itachi somehow opened up to me. He didn't smile or reveal any secrets about himself, but there was something...' _Sasuke's eyes lingered on Itachi's slender form seated elegantly on the chair. His back was straight, shoulders held back without a slouch. His face was turned towards the window, probably to avoid meeting the robot's gaze. But Sasuke could remember those alluring red eyes in contrast with the porcelain fair skin. Itachi's hair was still in his low ponytail. However, it spilled down his back, cascading down his shoulders in lovely raven locks. His bangs framed his flawless face, ghosting over his delicate hand that was holding his perfectly-shaped cheek. How Itachi managed to look beautiful every single day was beyond his knowledge, but he had to admit that was the truth.

Slowly, the robot's lips turned upward into a huge grin. He had accomplished something today. He had felt it, even if it was not obvious. _'My first step towards fulfilling my promise. I have a long way to go but I can do it. I will see that smile, one way or another.'_

"What are you smiling about," asked a voice that brought Sasuke back from his silent triumph.

Sasuke turned his eyes to look at the owner of the voice, none other than Kakashi. He answered, "Nothing that's any of your business."

"Hmmm. You know, I find it kind of funny. I'm staring at you, you're looking at Itachi, and Itachi's looking out the window. We've been like this for five minutes," stated Kakashi with a amused grin as he reveled in the faces of the two sitting across from him as they slowly realized that what he had said was true. Itachi returned to face the table again and so did Sasuke. Kakashi continued, "Still, we did manage to get rid of some of the tension between us. Looks like we're getting along okay." For once, all three of them could agree that that was true.

"I still have something more to say about our earlier conversation. If what you said was true about hand-inputting all those information in, then you would have had to memorize billions of codes, right Itachi," asked Kakashi. A nod was what he got for an answer. "How did you do that? Just what did you learn in Konoha that made you capable of such a feat?"

"Prying for answers about my past again," suggested Itachi. "Nice try." He rose from his seat and instead of just giving a glance to the AIR, this time he spoke out, "We're going."

"Right," answered Sasuke with a smile. He rose from his seat too and proceeded to follow Itachi out the room. The two of them completely ignored Kakashi's presence.

"Wait, what about the plates. You ate here, shouldn't you help me clean up," said Kakashi when he remembered the empty plates and utensils, forgotten at the corner of the table because of the interesting conversations going around earlier.

"And I also made you that breakfast. You can wash the plates yourself," retorted Itachi, his voice sounding from the hallway. A minute later, the front door was heard being opened and closed.

Kakashi sighed as he began collecting the plates and glasses. Itachi wasn't willing to do it so he might as well, get it over with. _'But one day I'm going to make him wash the dishes.' _The white haired man took the plates to the kitchen sink, ran the water with the soap, and began scrubbing the dishes. As he was working, his mind began to wander, _'Those two really seem to have gotten used to the other. It's only been five days and already they've ganged up on me once. But seeing as though they're living together, it's not all that unusual. Hmmm, maybe having the robot around isn't so bad after all. Once you get used to him, he's actually a pretty caring guy. Especially when it comes to a certain someone...' _The white haired man let out a small smile as he remembered what the AIR was like as soon as he was conscious and Itachi had brought him here. _'That robot refused to let go of Itachi and even now, he's getting all attached... Sasuke really seems to care a lot about him, but what is he planning to do later on... I wonder what would happen next... Ahh, who knows. I'll just have to sit back and watch... This is really gonna be interesting...' _

And Kakashi was right, things were going to get interesting from there out onwards.

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Hmmm, I wonder. What is going to happen next? Care to take a guess anyone. Okay, I'll tell you. In the next chapter, something dangerous is going to be involved, not telling what it is though. But it's nothing that Sasuke and Itachi can't overcome, since they seemed to have gotten comfortable with the other. No awkward silences now, yay. Review and thank you for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

Woo Hoo! Another chapter done! I have to say, this part took a lot of contemplating and imagination. First I didn't know what to write, and then when I knew what to write, I didn't know how to set it up. And when I finally got to the set up, I couldn't figure out how to make it flow. But, it came out okay. I'm not sure if the action's good enough for it to be pictured though. Oh well, here's chapter nine.

Be warned! Minor violence ahead! (But that won't stop you from reading it, would it?)

Try reading this at night. I dare you to.

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"Here, let me get that for you." Sasuke took the third platter that was on the table while Itachi balanced two plates with his hands along with two bowls and a fork. He was reaching for the third dirty dish when the AIR grabbed it for him.

"Thank you." The crimson eyed man gave a grateful nod to the robot as he carried the dishes to the kitchen to be washed. The robot smiled when he heard Itachi thank him, following after the smaller man with the third plate.

After returning from Kakashi's, Itachi did the same thing he did yesterday: change Sasuke's bandages. This time, some parts of his body like his legs and upper arms didn't have to be wrapped anymore because they had already healed. The cells had fully regenerated and covered the rips and tears forced together by string and stitches. The only wounds that hadn't healed was the chest and neck. Slight gashes and slits were ever-so-present but were disappearing slowly with every hour of the day. This time, the changing bandages session was not as quiet and tense as it was last time. Perhaps this was because Itachi had slowly gotten used to the AIR's company and had not thought of him as some foreign stranger anymore with each passing day. Sasuke had noticed the change, and he took pleasure in it. Just knowing that Itachi was slowly learning to accept him, warming up to him, was enough to send the robot spiraling into a state of ever-so-noticeable bliss. Acknowledgement from Itachi, to him, meant the first step towards fulfilling the promise.

Running water was heard from the kitchen accompanied by the soft clanging of plates as they were washed, dried, and put on the dish rack. The earlier conversation at Kakashi's had brought the two closer together and fully gotten rid of the tense feelings. And now, later on in the day, the occupants of the house had just finished dinner and was now washing the plates. They had delivered food to Kakashi's just about an hour ago and had come back to enjoy dinner themselves without the presence of the white haired man. Well, Itachi was the only one to eat but Sasuke was there keeping him company, better than Kakashi's company with all his unnecessary remarks upsetting the peaceful atmosphere.

Itachi wiped his hands on a piece of cloth once he was done with the dishes. He left the kitchen while the AIR finished up on washing, wiping the counter dry, and hanging the cloth before exiting the kitchen himself. Sasuke ascended the stairs to the second floor and went to his bedroom, intending to relax a little. His ears picked up sounds of a showerhead being turned on thus signifying that Itachi was taking a bath. That gave him some time alone.

Sasuke had already taken his bath ahead of time under Itachi's orders. The red eyed man didn't want to change the bandages only for them to be taken off or, in another case, get soaked when it was the robot's turn to bathe. So, he told Sasuke to take his bath in advance before the changing session began.

Sasuke pulled the sliding wardrobe door aside to reveal a full-body mirror. He stared at his reflection long and hard, looking into those glassy onyx eyes of his. As he scrutinized himself, questions resurfaced into his mind, _'Who was I? What did I do in my past? Was there some reason for me being here? What's my role in society?' _He wanted those questions answered. How ironic it was that he possessed those answers, and yet didn't have the right to know them. Knowing he wasn't going to get those answers by just staring, the AIR pulled the sliding door back to cover the mirror. He then moved to sit on his bed, which was positioned right next to his window. There was no need to turn the light switch on because he had night vision.

The robot looked out from the second floor onto the dark nightscape illuminated by the moon's pale, ghastly glow. Everything was bathed in the celestial body's eternal blaze. The trees were dark and barely visible, outline only seen as black shadows against the ground, highlighted by the livid light. Dark silhouettes swayed with the wind, as their counterparts repeated the same action in mimicry. Ashen colors stretched across the plain as the moon's luminous shine transmuted the pigments, shading their complexion, and distorting objects of everyday life into inklike images. The distance was conceal in shadows as there was no sun to reveal their features. Even the mountains looked like giant nebulous towers of lineament. Up above the moon radiated brilliantly, shining merrily along with the thousand twinkling stars. Small gray clouds passed along the night sky, obscuring lucent light for a few seconds before moving along.

Looking out at the night scenery made Sasuke rethink about the questions that had surfaced when he gazed into the mirror. Did he really want those questions answered? If he did remember, he would have to leave, but is going back to his previous lifestyle worth leaving? Was his previous life better than his life right now? Did he really want to know who he was? _'I'm happy living here. I'm really happy, and now that I think about it, I don't care about my previous memories as much as I thought I would. It would be nice to know, but... I want to stay here more longer. I want to be with...' _The robot's thoughts trailed off after that and onyx eyes instead moved to look outside his bedroom door. He knew very well who he was referring to. He knew, deep inside, why he wanted to stay so badly. It was for one person...

Sounds of a door opening could be heard from outside. That meant that Itachi had gotten out of the shower. Itachi and Sasuke's bedrooms were right across from each other respectively. If Sasuke was to look from a certain spot in the room, he could actually see a part of Itachi's room. But it wasn't as though he had never been in there before so that peeking spot was nothing to him.

Sasuke continued staring out the window in his pitch-dark room, admiring the night landscape. He was startled by the room suddenly getting fully enveloped in light. A quick turn of his head and there was Itachi, standing by the doorway, one hand on the light switch and the other holding a towel against his wet hair. Rivulet drops of water ran down his raven locks and tiny beads of the liquid clung onto his watery tresses. His bangs stuck together and weaved just on top of his forehead. Side locks trailed down soft cheeks and framed the perfect face.

"I was wondering where you were," stated Itachi, explaining his reason for his sudden appearance in the room.

"Is there something you need," asked the robot. A shake of the head was the answer. Itachi stayed standing where he was and proceeded to dry his hair with the towel. The AIR watched his movements and after a few seconds, said, "Do you want to sit down?" Itachi looked at his not-so-human roommate before slowly making his way to the robot's bed, sitting down against the edge. He continued to dry his hair, not saying anything at the moment.

Sasuke took in the other body on the bed, smiling a soft smile. Itachi did look better with his hair down; it framed his face and body elegantly, like a pitch-dark curtain. A shroud of darkness against twinkling stars, surrounded by a magnificent nebula in the background, refined and captivating. And with a moon too, a splendid moon to shed light to a dark gloomy world. For some reason, that description matched his recent thoughts about the night sky as he had stared up at it from his small second floor window. The smile got wider. _'I'm happy here.'_

The grinning AIR found himself averting his face from Itachi's peripheral vision, embarrassed that he was smiling for no apparent reason. No, he had a reason, but it was embarrassing to explain. His eyes redirected back to outside the window, completely at ease. That is, until he saw something. A shadowy shape zoomed right below his eyes, through the front yard of their house and disappeared in a split second.

"Huh," was the first thing uttered from the AIR. _'What was that?'_

That caught Itachi's attention from his hair drying. "What's wrong?"

"I thought I saw something," said Sasuke slowly. "Outside," he added in.

That got Itachi moving from his side of the bed to Sasuke's, positioning himself so that he was right next to the AIR, looking out the same window. The only difference was that Sasuke had his legs dangling off the side of the bed while Itachi was kneeling on the sheets. In their current posture, they were so close that Sasuke could smell the shampoo and conditioner that Itachi used. It was fresh off and smelled like lemongrass and night rain. It was a nice mixture that went well with Itachi's hair, smoothening it and producing a silky feeling. Oh, how the robot wanted to run his fingers down those fair tresses and feel just how sleek the jet black locks were. "I don't see anything," declared Itachi in a soft voice, bringing Sasuke back from his fantasies. They had bigger things to worry about other than hair.

"I saw a figure, a dark shadowy figure or shape moving. It ran right past our yard. I couldn't make out what it was but it didn't look human. It was fast too. It disappeared in the blink of an eye," said Sasuke. _'It was right there. I saw it moving.'_

"Perhaps your eyes are malfunctioning," suggested Itachi. "I don't see anything." He peered into the outside darkness but could see nothing out of the ordinary. Everything looked the way it was supposed to look. There was nothing different about the scenery.

"But I saw it," said Sasuke, uncertainty present in his voice. _'Or maybe my eyes really do need to get checked.'_

"I'll look at your eyes tomorrow." That surprised Sasuke. It was as thought Itachi knew what he was thinking of the second he thought of it. "But if it will set your mind to ease, we can take a look around outside." To this, the robot nodded.

Both males advanced from their positions on the bed to the doorway. They made their way downstairs and through the hallway. Itachi made it to the front door first followed by the robot. He, hesitantly, put his hand on the doorknob and turned, opening the door slowly bit by bit before the whole entrance was accessible. Itachi stepped out onto the front porch and surveyed the surroundings, the only visible light coming from the moon and the small porch light hanging from above. Sasuke trailed after and went to stand protectively by Itachi, stance ready in case something was to jump out and attack them. He saw something, and even if it could have been a trick of the eyes, there was a chance that figure was real. And he didn't want to take that chance of letting his guard down, especially when it came to Itachi's safety as well. Cautious and protective feelings took over in his emotion chips and the robot unconsciously went to stand a little way in front of the smaller man with him, still positioned at the side yet a little forward than the other.

Two pairs of eyes scrutinized the whole area, looking carefully with the small amount of light provided. Nothing was found out of the ordinary. A few more minutes outside and the two could see that it was pointless to continue standing outside looking for something when they didn't know what it was. Crimson orbs met opposite black ones as they both concluded in their heads, _'It was probably nothing,' _and _'We should go back inside.'_

So, following their thoughts, both went back inside. Itachi stayed behind at the entryway, shutting the door tight and locking it from the inside with the bolt. He met up with Sasuke sitting on the couch in the living room. The robot was lost in his thoughts, trying to recall what he saw. _'I thought for sure I saw something.'_

After taking a seat next to the contemplating AIR, Itachi turned to him and said, "You should forget about the shadow. It was probably nothing."

"Yeah, maybe," said Sasuke with a smile. He wasn't convinced but if Itachi didn't want him to continue pursuing the subject, then he wouldn't. Besides, he didn't want the long haired man to be worried or concerned because of him. And maybe he really was just being too paranoid about dark sneaky shapes in the dead of night. _'Hopefully it was nothing.'_

But Sasuke was dead wrong. At about that time after that thought came to him, the lights abruptly flicked off without a second's notice. Everything went black, plummeting the whole house into absolute total darkness. "What happened," asked Itachi, not daring himself to move in a place he couldn't see.

"I don't know," said the robot. A thought came to his mind, "Was there something wrong with your electricity generators?"

"No. But one of the wires may be broken. This has happened before... Yet they don't usually break under normal circumstances..." stated Itachi.

"Never mind how it broke; we should fix it soon." Sasuke began to leave the living room but stopped when he saw that Itachi was not moving from his spot.

"I can't see where I'm going," said Itachi. And that was true. He couldn't see his hand even if it was put in front of him. Oh, it was a really GREAT time for the moon to be obscured by the clouds. Sasuke smiled as he watched Itachi stand there, trying to get his eyes to adjust but failing miserably. If you didn't have night vision, then you didn't have it. The robot walked up to the smaller man and took his hand gently in his. He tightened his grip and could feel Itachi tightening his too.

And just when things began to look better, they started getting worse. Now, losing power all of a sudden wasn't all that scary, but what came after that was.

_Thump... Thump... Thump... Thump..._

Both residents of the house automatically jumped when they heard the sounds. Itachi's other hand unconsciously came up to grab Sasuke's sleeve as they both froze in place, too frightened to move or say anything. But there was one question that had to be voiced. "What was that," whispered Itachi, not daring to talk more louder. Silence was heard as the two in the room waited to see what would happen next, whether it be more thumping noises or something else entirely.

_Thump... Thump... Thump..._

"It's coming from the front door..." whispered Sasuke to Itachi. "No, outside the door. It sounds as though something's being hit against the door. This could be related to the shadow I saw earlier."

"We shouldn't go fix the generator. Let's wait until morning. I don't think it's safe to go outside," suggested Itachi. At this point, Itachi still couldn't see anything. Sasuke's voice, to him, was coming from the darkness. But he knew that the robot was right next to him, holding his hand, telling him silently not to be afraid. If it had been him all by himself dealing with a situation like this, he wouldn't know what to do. "We shouldn't use any flashlights or alternate forms of light for now. Whatever that thing is, it could identify where we are in the house if it sees light. I'm hoping that thing is as blind as I am right now."

_Thump... Thump... Thump... Thump..._

"You locked all the other doors to this house, right?" The long haired man gave a nod, knowing that Sasuke would see it. "And all the windows are closed?" Another nod. "Then we're safe for now, unless that thing manages to knock down the door."

"What is it," Itachi asked again.

Sasuke turned to the direction of the thumping and said, "I'll go see what it is."

His hand loosened it's grip on Itachi's and he slowly began to walk away but before taking two steps, a voice cut in, "No, don't leave me here alone." The AIR could feel a hand reach out and grab his shirt again. Sasuke could hear the slight desperate tone in Itachi's plea. _'Is he really this scared?' _Making up his mind, the robot brought his hand up and grabbed ahold of the hand that was clutching onto his shirt, squeezing it gently, prompting Itachi to let go of the fabric and move to hold the slightly bigger hand offered to him. "I'll come with you then."

"What, no. We don't know what we're dealing with. It's better to be safe and cautious," said Sasuke.

_Thump... Thump... Thump... Bam..._

"That thing's not going away. If you're going to deal with it, then I'm coming too." The AIR could see Itachi's serious face in the darkness. He was not backing down. By now, the thumping noises had gotten more violent, turning instead into aggressive hits against the front. The sounds of the impacts echoed throughout the entire house and drained away into the silent atmosphere.

Sasuke started to say something, but Itachi interjected before he could open his mouth, "It's my house. I have a right to come with you."

"Alright, but I go first. And be careful. We don't know what we're dealing with," said Sasuke at last, finally making up his mind. Holding Itachi's hand, the AIR ventured through the hallway, walking slowly and cautiously towards the door, now shaking against it's frame.

_Bam... Bam... Bam... Bam..._

To say that Sasuke was not afraid was a lie. To be honest, the robot was just as scared and alarmed as Itachi was. The place they lived didn't have much trespassers as it was located far away from other's company. Just who or what would venture out into the middle of nowhere and attack them? If they wanted to do a break-in burglary, they wouldn't try to force the front door open, especially when they knew there were people there. _'It's got to have seen me and Itachi when we went out onto the front porch. So why is it attacking us? We have no enemies; or do we?'_ As the robot watched the door trembling on it's hinges nearing, he would feel Itachi tighten his hold on him.

Finally, they were right in front of the door. It seemed like an eternity before they reached it and seconds seemed to turn into hours as they stood cautiously, perhaps waiting for the shaking to stop, for the thing to go away, and for them to pretend as though nothing had happened. That silent wish didn't come through. They were there, that thing was there, and if they didn't do something quick, they were going to feel the wrath of whatever was beyond that door.

"Okay, it's obvious this thing's not gonna go away on it's own. I want you to stand back, alright. I'll open the door and take a quick peek. If that thing tries to force it's way in, I have enough strength to push it back when I shut the door," said the AIR to Itachi. He, reluctantly, let go of the smaller, softer hand he had been holding and taking Itachi by the waist, led him a little ways farther from himself. _'If this thing does attack before I can prepare myself, then at least let me be injured instead of him.'_

'_I cannot see in this dark so Sasuke is my guide. He's the only one who can do anything. The only thing I'm good for is standing in the corner and waiting it out. Yet I don't want to just sit back and wait. I want to do something, but in this darkness I can't. It's this helpless feeling again... Why doesn't it ever go away?' _Itachi wanted to push Sasuke aside and tell him he was fully capable himself, but he wasn't.

At about this time, the door looked as though it was about to break off from its hinges. Slowly, Sasuke reached for the door knob. His fingers turned the lock back counterclockwise as a click sounded quietly to show the door was unlocked. Then, the robot grasped the whole handle. _'Okay, I'm going to stay calm. I'm going to prepare myself for whatever I see. I won't be surprised or caught off guard,' _the AIR told himself, taking a deep breath. He would not be fazed at whatever was behind the door. Nothing would startle him. Or, that was what he hoped for.

Sasuke slowly turned the doorknob and opened the entryway by a crack. The force that struck him was enough to knock the door back a couple more inches widening the entrance for the intruder to come in.

"Holy Crap!" exclaimed Sasuke as he struggled to push the door back shut. His eyes had already captured the image of the intruder as soon as it came hurdling itself at the crack. He knew what that thing was and as he predicted, it was the same black shadow he had seen earlier.

_Wham..._

"Shit, it's head got in!" Sasuke was now putting his whole weight on the door, trying to either push the thing back outside or smash the head in, hoping it would die. Sadly, the intruder was not giving up, as it was still pushing itself in, forcing its body through the crack all the while straining to push Sasuke back. The thing gave a low deep growl that sounded like a mad animal. Sasuke leaned his weight against the door as he brought his foot up. He slammed it down hard against the creature's head. The creature gave a yelp that quickly turned back into a more louder roar. It snapped back but didn't get much distance as it's head was still caught in the doorway.

"What's going on? What is that?" Itachi couldn't see anything. The only things he could hear was Sasuke swearing, the growling, and a lot of hitting and thumping noises. And that was worrying him like hell. _'If only the porch light was on... Too bad our electricity's down...' _Itachi felt very alarmed. He didn't know what was going on. It made him feel so vulnerable. To be kept in the dark without any knowledge to protect or assure yourself whatsoever, it was scary. That was what Sasuke had felt when he had awoken without any knowledge of anything. It was only through Itachi that he got the feeling of security. But now, it was Itachi's turn to feel _in the dark_, literally. Only Sasuke knew what was going on, only he knew what to do, and only he could help Itachi now.

How ironic it was that their roles would be switched.

"Sasuke!" called Itachi again to the darkness, hoping for an answer. This time, he got one.

"It's... Dammit... a... God, why won't you give up already!" Another thud was heard as Sasuke slammed his foot down again on the prowler. He continued, "Some sort of mutated... dog!"

This totally surprised Itachi. He wasn't even sure if he had heard Sasuke correctly. "A What?"

"A dog, well close to one. This thing is about the size of a small horse. It's got yellow eyes and razor sharp teeth. And there are things pointing out of it's back. Definitely not a regular dog," said Sasuke, still struggling with the door. The dog, as Sasuke put it, let out a violent bark as it managed to force one of its front paws into the doorway. "Shit!" Sasuke swore again. It was getting in. The robot moved to hit the dog beast again but this time, he was a bit late on the attack for the creature extended its neck before the foot could connect with the target. Knife-like teeth sank into biological flesh and Sasuke's foot would really have gotten torn off if it wasn't for his servo-mechanic skeleton. The deformed dog's powerful jaws would probably have been able to chew through bone. The robot noticed long-fleshy antennae looking things protruding from the dog's head. Patches of pink skin with no fur stood out against the dirty-coal colored hide.

The sudden attack brought the robot off balance as the being pulled back from the doorway, taking Sasuke along with it. This caused Sasuke to let go of the door. He fell onto the porch but with one swift kick, managed to land one on the dog's head, enabling the intruder to let go of his leg. The dog let out a sharp bark upon the hard contact but didn't show any sign of fear. Instead, it chose to run around the robot, aiming for the entryway yet again. Sasuke didn't have to think for a second as his mind processed what that thing was planning, _'It's going for Itachi!'_ His brain screamed at him to do something but his body moved more faster than his mind could comprehend as soon as he heard an audible cry from inside.

Itachi had heard the loud thump of the robot's body when he fell; he knew that the door was widely open now and accessible to anyone, or anything. And just when the moon decided to appear after being obscured by the clouds, Itachi saw the creature for the first time. He also noticed another thing: the thing was coming towards him.

The dog pounced towards the long haired man and Itachi cried out as he ducked out of the way. Snarling teeth and malicious eyes stared at him before Itachi quickly scrambled to his feet, running out of the hallway and into the living room. The dog ran after him, perhaps deliberately blocking the path to the doorway so he had nowhere else to go except more further into the house.

By now, Sasuke's emotion chips were on total concern and worry mode, to the point where his thoughts were a jumbled mess. He couldn't process actions and what he was doing or going to do. All that ran through his mind was that Itachi was in danger, and he had to do something quick before his angel got hurt. There was this feeling inside of him, this motivating feeling that welled up inside of him. He knew one thing, and one thing only.

'_I have to protect him... I need to protect him... I need him...'_

Itachi felt himself bump into the table stand as he ran into the living room. The lamp on top of the stand wobbled as he maneuvered himself around it quickly. At about this time, Itachi was only relying on the moon as his source of light. He could barely see everything clearly, only the shapes and silhouettes. He took another step backwards as the shape of the dog came crashing into the table stand, fully knocking it down along with the lamp. He watched with wide eyes as the dog picked itself up, recovering from the crash, and stared straight at him, teeth bared and eyes holding an unmistakable message. He knew what the dog wanted. It was hungry. And it wanted him for dinner.

The dog charged again, leaping into the air like before. Itachi took a step back but realized he didn't have anywhere he could retrogress to. The couch stood in his way, blocking any route of escape. He balled up his fists and closed his eyes, awaiting the miserable fate that was to befall him. The pain didn't come.

A loud thud and crash was sounded throughout the house. Itachi opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Sasuke, arms grappled around the creature, trying to pin it down and keep it from moving. The robot had tackled the dog from behind before it's mouth could reach Itachi. The thing thrashed violently, growling and barking, showing rows of razor sharp teeth. It's powerful hind legs kicked into the robot's abdomen, front claws scratching the robot's chest and arms. It's three tails whipped and lashed out forcefully. The weird spikes on it's back protruded and jabbed dangerously into the AIR. That didn't faze Sasuke in the least bit. He continued holding on, refusing to let the creature get to Itachi, despite the small droplets of blood already forming on his clothes.

'_It doesn't matter... All that matters is that Itachi doesn't get hurt...' _

The two struggled fiercely with the other on the ground. Furniture was toppled and moved as the two rolled around, trying to hit the other. Sasuke mostly aimed for the head, hoping that with enough repeated hits, the dog would get knocked unconscious. The dog mostly went for all parts of the body, ferociously trying to tear them apart. It was fortunate that Sasuke was a robot. If he had been human, he would have gotten ripped to shreds a long time ago.

'_I can't just stand here and do nothing...' _thought Itachi. He had to help out in some way. Making up his mind, the crimson eyed man dodged around the couch, ran out of the living room, and headed for the basement door. After descending the stairs, he ran blindly towards the spot he remembered putting it. Reaching frantically around, touching all of the things that were lined up against the wall, feeling if it was the thing he was looking for, Itachi finally found it. It was a lead pipe. He quickly dashed back up the stairs and once again found himself staring at the robot and dog wrestling on the floor. One of the robot's hands was gripping the front legs tightly while the other was grabbing at the throat, trying to push the head away from him. The dog growled all the while, landing solid kicks as Sasuke struggled to pin down the hind legs with his own two legs. Itachi saw this as an opportunity to make his move. He raised the lead pipe above his head and then brought it down hard with all his strength on the mutated dog's head. A loud bam sound was heard followed by a howl of pain and then ending with a whimper. The dog stopped moving and became limp, it's whole body relaxing.

When Sasuke felt the oppression subside, he too relaxed, relieved that the struggle was over. Untangling himself from the body of the nonmoving dog, the robot stood up. But instead of checking his own body damage, he immediately went over to Itachi and asked in a voice laced with obvious concern, "Are you aright?" Itachi gave a nod as he set the pipe down on the floor, leaning it against the couch. Sasuke gave a smile of relief. _'Itachi's okay.' _Of course it was obvious that Itachi wasn't harmed. The AIR didn't even give the dog one chance to get close to the apathetic man. Still, he had to ask to make sure, otherwise the concern wouldn't subside.

Still, the feeling that he had at the beginning didn't go away. It stayed, despite the fact the danger was gone. The same motivating feeling, the same desire... _'The wish to protect...' _It was still there.

"I should go and fix the generators," stated Itachi as he began walking away from the robot.

"I'll go with you," said the AIR immediately. He didn't want to be separated from Itachi, even if it was for only a small distance. The feeling was still inside him. For some reason, he felt as though he should stay close to the silent man. A tugging sensation that was by far indistinguishable to him. _'Everything's alright now. So why do I still feel this way?' _the robot asked himself. It confused him that at that moment of time when Itachi could have gotten hurt, a compelling force drove him past comprehensible thought to protect him. To keep him from harm, even if it meant new wounds for the AIR.

'_But even if I did get injured, it would only be on the outside. It doesn't hurt and the wounds can heal eventually. Perhaps maybe tomorrow they would be gone already. Is that why I chose to fight with that dog? Did I only step out because I knew that the dog could never badly harm me physically, or was it for some other reason? If I had been a human instead, would I have done the same thing, knowing it could kill me?' _Sadly, Sasuke would never have that questioned answered because he wasn't a human. But perhaps he had felt something that could be somewhat similar to human instinct. An instinct and a will to protect towards a certain someone...

And that said person managed to jolt the robot back from his thoughts with a sentence, "No, you stay here." The robot opened his mouth to protest, clearly not supporting the fact of Itachi going out alone in the dark when there could be more mutant dogs loose out there. Itachi spoke first before he could argue, "You're injured. Clean yourself up first."

Sasuke could not argue with that. He had blood on his clothes, even though it was little. It didn't stain his entire shirt but for the sake of it, changing into clean clothes was the more desirable option, especially when his shirt had some rips and tears from the grapple earlier. He turned around to go to the bedroom, but knew immediately that it was a bad idea. For as soon as he turned his back on the dog, it leaped up in a split second and charged for Itachi.

'_It's not dead yet...' _both the robot and human thought. Itachi's mind reacted as quick as his brain processed the attack and he ducked away. The dog didn't stop and after failing the first time tried again the second time, growling the same malicious growl. This time, it was angry and it's eyes budged out more than ever. It was pissed for being attacked back, and if it couldn't fight against Sasuke, then charge for the other: Itachi.

Sasuke made it over to Itachi's side in the blink of an eye. He grabbed hold of the smaller man with one arm and brought him close to his chest, positioning himself so that he was right in between the assailant and the target. The monstrous dog could not withdraw his attack and his teeth sank straight into Sasuke's arm yet again, the one that wasn't holding onto Itachi. This time, it was Sasuke's turn to get pissed. _'That thing is trying to bite him again... That thing is trying to attack him again... THAT THING IS TRYING TO HURT ITACHI AGAIN?' _That set him over the edge_. _The robot let go of Itachi's slim figure before balling his hand into a fist and smashing it down against the dog's head. The dog let go of the arm, leaped up into the air yet again, and instead of attacking with it's mouth, decided to use it's knifelike claws. The claws lashed forward.

Sasuke embraced Itachi, enclosing the lithe body within his arms. Crimson eyes widened as Itachi felt arms come around him. The warmth was suffocating as his face was pressed against the strong chest. His body automatically tensed with the close contact. It had been a long time since anyone had hugged him. It felt weird to him. Itachi was at a loss of words. His mind was blank at the small action.

But Sasuke didn't just embrace Itachi for the heck of it. It was again for the same reason, protection. The action successfully protected Itachi from being lashed by the claws of the mutated dog, but the damage had to be inflicted anyhow. Sasuke took the hit himself as the claws came in contact with his back. Fabric tore and grotesque scraping sounds were heard as the talons raked through the robot's back. Itachi's eyes widened at what was happening to Sasuke.

'_He's getting hurt to protect me. He's deliberately getting lacerated, so that I won't get injured...' _This really got to Itachi. He couldn't, wouldn't let another person get hurt just because of him. _'It's already happened more times than one... Even if this is a robot, I can't stand to just watch helplessly... I can't let it happen again...' _The noticeable tightening of the robot's arms around him was enough to finalize his decision. In one swift movement, Itachi maneuvered his way out of the AIR's arms. He pivoted in a fleeting manner, hair flaring out and streaming like strands of gossamer ribbons. In a sudden second, he had the lead pipe in his hands again. And in another quick moment, he had bashed it into the intruder's head. The abnormal canine howled but before it could retaliate, Itachi had raised the stick back up, bringing it down on the mutant's head.

Sasuke saw how the hits were not hard enough to be effective on the dog. He reached out his hand and took the stick from Itachi, meeting the red eyes with his charcoal orbs. The robot gave a nod and Itachi let him have the pipe. The AIR took one step towards the enemy before raising the pipe. His eyes were hard and cold, mouth set into a grim line. Sasuke brought the pipe down with one final blow, successfully striking the dog's head. The impact came with a loud bam, echoing throughout the silent household. The dog swayed a little before finally collapsing onto the floor.

The robot knelt down to check if the beast was really dead or if it was playing dead like the last time. Itachi watched a distance away, waiting for the confirmation. Concluding that this time was real and not an act, Sasuke said to Itachi, "It's dead." The smaller man breathed a sigh of ease, relieved that the danger was over. He collapsed onto the couch that was conveniently right behind him. "Itachi?" questioned the robot.

"I'm fine, just tired," replied Itachi as he closed his eyes and reposed his body. He felt the weight shift on the spot next to him and upon opening his eyes, found the robot sitting next to him, apparently worn by the fight.

And that was how they spent the next few minutes, sitting on the couch next to each other thinking about their first ambush by an animal since coming here. It almost felt as though everything had been a bad dream, that it never happened, but it was real. The tiredness in Itachi's body and wounds on Sasuke's was evidence that the attack really did happen. Not to mention the corpse of the dead animal, lying on the floor motionless. The AIR noticed this, "What should we do with the body?"

"Let Kakashi have it," answered Itachi.

"We're just gonna give him the body?"

"Yes, he'll dispose of it for us. Burying it would only leave a stench here." Sasuke gave a nod of understanding. Itachi looked at the corpse, and then at the robot. The dog really did a number on the spiky haired AIR. He'd have to tend to those wounds. But first... "I'll fix the generators now. You clean yourself up." Itachi left the room and this time, Sasuke let him go. The tugging sensation was gone now, so it was safe.

Sighing, the robot headed out the living room and up the stairs to his bedroom. He grabbed a clean pair of clothes and a towel and entered the bathroom. Unraveling the bandages from his chest and body, the onyx eyed android stepped into the shower. He turned the showerhead on and let the water run down his form. _'Great, now I have new wounds. And the old ones haven't even healed yet,' _thought Sasuke sarcastically. A more deeper look into why he got hurt and the robot smiled a happy smile despite the fact his biological flesh was torn beyond compare. Was it worth it?

'_Yes, it was worth it,' _concluded the robot as he thought of the person he got injured for. _'Definitely worth it.' _A small flicker flashed through the light bulbs followed by brilliance as the whole house was filled with the luminous blaze of light. _'Looks like Itachi managed to fix the generators.'_

The robot exited the shower. He grabbed the towel and dried himself as best as he could. Then, Sasuke put on the pair of pants he selected and left the bathroom. His shirt would have to wait. Sasuke entered his room and found Itachi sitting on his bed. In his hands was a first-aid kit, as expected by the shirtless AIR. Itachi motioned for him to sit down and the robot obeyed. The smaller man moved behind Sasuke and started unrolling a reel of bandages. He traced his fingers over one of the lash marks on the body in front of him, calculating how deep it was and how much attention it should need in order to heal.

Sasuke smiled, looking behind his back to the silently working man. Itachi looked up as soon as he saw the turn of the head and their eyes met. Catching the happy grin, Itachi asked, "Why are you smiling?"

The robot only shook his head but his smile never left or disappeared. "No reason," was the answer. Itachi tilted his head, a sign of confusion. It was obvious he was trying to understand what the AIR was thinking of. Too bad he couldn't guess just what was going on inside the mind of the person he was now caring for. Sasuke turned his head back to it's original position of looking ahead and let Itachi do his work. No use confusing the beautiful black haired man.

He was, however, surprised when the fingers stopped moving, replaced by a warm sensation of something pressing up against his back. No, two things, it was. He could recognize one of the things as Itachi's hand, spread out against the right side. But he couldn't tell what the source of the other sensation was. A look back and Sasuke gave an inaudible gasp. It was Itachi's forehead. His forehead was resting on the robot's back along with his hand, positioned right next to his face. The black haired beauty had his eyes closed while he leaned in to the warm aura the robot was emitting. Sasuke didn't know what to say. Luckily, the AIR didn't have to speak first this time. While keeping his head down with his forehead as the only source of contact, Itachi whispered, "Thank you... for saving me."

Sasuke kept on staring back at Itachi, not trusting his mouth for the moment to say anything. His eyes held surprise in them because he had never expected Itachi to do something like that. Thank him, yes, but to put his forehead against him, never. Slowly, the smile that had disappeared during his moment of shock returned, more wider than ever. The AIR answered back in the same hushed tone that Itachi used, "You're welcome."

Nothing was said after that. However, despite the silence in the room, Sasuke's smile didn't diminish when the bandaging session was over nor did it fade even when they were getting ready to go to sleep. _'Another barrier down, another step closer... That promise will be fulfilled.' _And with that, the AIR's thoughts drifted back to his earlier musings, the reason he was smiling before the small act of gratitude by Itachi. A reason, a purpose, a thought that made him content as he drifted into his sleep mode.

'_I'm happy here... being with him.'_

* * *

Itachi still has a FIRE in him! But seriously, using lead pipes, don't try it please. Sasuke's so sweet to Itachi. And yes, barriers are falling! Go Sasuke! Okay, enough of mindless chatter now. In the next chapter, it will be explained where the dog came from. (Although you probably could have guessed) And also, another thing will be discovered that will put Itachi's trust in Sasuke on the line. Oooo, what could it be?

Review please! I read your reviews! They are so wonderful and I greatly appreciate them!


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry I took so long with this update. Too much things going on in my life, and also I was procrastinating. Procrastination... is wonderful, but it doesn't get anything done. My brain has officially depleted into a giant lump of tofu, figuratively speaking. My brain really did not turn into a piece of tofu over the night. It'd be scary if it did. Yes, so here is chapter ten.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Kakashi paced around the room, and then stopped in front of the dead corpse of the dog beast. "That thing attacked you last night." He pointed to the 'thing' on the floor. Itachi nodded from his seat on the couch, his face blank and indifferent. "And you want me to take it back to Konoha." A nod. "For dumping." Another nod. "So you dragged me from my warm, comfortable abode, my secure domain, my sacred haven, my palatial domicile..."

"Your house," said Sasuke leaning against the doorway, arms crossed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So you dragged me from my house here just so you could dump this into my hands," stated Kakashi with an annoyed face.

"Didn't we go over this already," declared Itachi.

"Yes, but I don't see how that 'thing' attacking you is any of my business," Kakashi claimed.

"It becomes your business when you dispose of it for us," said Itachi.

"You know very well you can dispose of it yourself. Why not just bury it instead of taking it back to Konoha?" Kakashi stood looking at the man sitting calmly on the couch.

"Because it'll leave a stench," answered Itachi. "Besides, this matter does pertain to you in some sense. We killed it, but we didn't have to. We could have easily directed it to your house. It was hungry and could have attacked anyone. And if it did choose you, I wonder... Just how would you be able to fend it off?"

Kakashi opened his mouth to snap back, but nothing came out. _'Crap, I can't think of anything to say.' _Closing his mouth and nodding his head as a understanding of being defeated yet again, he said in a cynical tone, "Fine, fine, you got me. I'll dump it for you."

Sasuke smiled from his place in the doorway. _'So like Itachi to use his tongue to manipulate people.' _It was a lie of course. _'We had to kill the dog; there was no other way. We... he used the word 'we.' _The word sounded strange to him, yet he felt that it belonged. _'But why wouldn't he use it. We killed it together, right? Heh, I'm acting stupid now.' _

"But back to serious matters, that thing didn't hurt you, did it," asked Kakashi.

Itachi shook his head. "But it did a number to Sasuke."

"Damn. And here I was sleeping peacefully while you guys were getting mauled by some mad dog," said Kakashi while scratching the back of his neck.

"What interests me the most is how this dog can somehow turn into a mutated creature practically indistinguishable by anyone as to what it is," voiced Sasuke with a thoughtful tone.

Kakashi looked at the creature carefully, having the same thought as Sasuke on where this thing came from. "Mutated dogs aren't from around here. They can't be found anywhere. Something like this shouldn't even exist. I mean, look at it. What is that, spikes on it's back, knifelike claws, and not one, but THREE tails, and not to mention the size of it. And what the hell, FOUR eyes?"

This detail surprised the AIR. "Four? I thought it only had two."

"No, there's four. See, there's a small lining of what can be distinguished as two more eyes, smaller than the two that you saw. However, it could have been blind in those eyes so there was no use opening them. Add on the hair that's covering the eyes, I can see how you mistakened it to only have two," explained Kakashi.

"Regardless of how many eyes it has, I'm still wondering where it came from and how it got mutated. Dogs are not born this way," said Sasuke. He paused for a moment before saying in an uncertain tone of voice, "Do you think it came from Konoha?"

Kakashi looked at him with disbelief. "What are you talking about? Where can you find mutated animals... in Konoha..." This time, it was his turn to hold uncertainty in his voice.

Itachi lowered his head but it appeared as though he knew something. Kakashi chose to look away, not saying anything as well. Unlike Itachi, the white haired man held a look of sadness on his face. Sasuke noticed the change in mood but didn't understand what was going on. "What's going on?" No one answered him. "Itachi?"

Kakashi answered the question instead. He didn't meet the robot's eyes. "It may just be a rumor... to tell you the truth, I've only heard it from gossip... but... there's this place... it could be responsible for what you encountered last night... they specialize in things like that..."

"What do you mean," asked Sasuke with a serious expression.

Itachi spoke this time. Some things, he had to explain himself. "Konoha is home to many different advancements in human history. Many things have occurred there for the benefit of society, or that's what they say. But perhaps it is true to some extent. I specialized in robotics, as you know, when I still lived in Konoha. But money wasn't only invested in electronic components and cyber-kinetics. There were other things going on... Never mind. Maybe I shouldn't say it."

"What is it that you can't say," Sasuke inquired.

Itachi glanced at the robot as soon as he realized what the AIR was doing. _'He's doing it again, making me recall past memories, prying with his constant reminders of my old life. Maybe if he hadn't asked I wouldn't have had to remember... But it's already there inside my mind. I can't get rid of it now so might as well tell him... If he wants to know it all, then I'll willingly tell him.'_

And Itachi spoke, "Although many people believe it is just a rumor, I can tell you that it's more than just gossip run amok. This place mentioned earlier... it was a lab for testing and experimentation on biological forces. In other words, they conduct experiments on living creatures, mostly animals. However, there has been word of actual humans being test subjects in there as well. There is no evidence to back that up so far. These... experiments do have the ability to mutate and utterly deform normal animals into distorted, grotesque images of their former selves. In addition to exposing organisms to radioactive and toxic genetic mutators, I believe they... have also performed vivisections without anesthesia, froze and amputated limbs, even left some to unfreeze and thaw to study the effects of the resultant untreated gangrene and rotting. But vivisections were usually performed on the subject after they had been exposed to a deadly disease. They've removed organs to study the effects of the disease and sometimes reattached the organs to another part of the body. Sometimes they..."

Kakashi interrupted him, "Wait, wait, back up for a minute. How do you know all of this? The rumors don't go that far... unless... Don't tell me you used to work for the..."

"Don't even think about suggesting it," snapped Itachi to Kakashi. "I would never do such a thing." His eyelids lowered, giving him a stern look as he spoke with a slight acidic tone. He was serious. About now, Sasuke and Kakashi were giving him curious looks, demanding an explanation. Sighing, Itachi continued, "I've been in there before, and not in the way you think. I was a technology specialist, and I did have to make a living before. The experimental labs had an accident and their machines were badly damaged. They hired me to fix it. I spent four hours in there. Only four, it would have been longer, but I left before I could fully fix the damaged mechanisms."

"Why'd you leave without finishing the job," asked the robot. _'He's letting me in on his past. His walls are slowly falling.'_

"I learned a few of their experiments from, accidentally, skimming through their data contents. At first, I didn't believe it. But after peeking in on an experiment in session, I had to leave."

"What happened," inquired the white haired man.

"I vomited," said Itachi, in simplest terms.

Two pairs of eyes bulged and since it was not crimson, you could obviously tell whose eyes it was. Kakashi's mouth dropped and although he tried to say something, he couldn't sound a single word. Sasuke, thankfully, could, "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious," answered the slender man. His facial expression remained the same throughout his quiet confession. "I walked in on scientists surgically removing a stomach and then attaching the esophagus to the intestines. Then they injected some black substance into the main aortic valve. It swelled up and looked as though it was about to burst. I vomited, and then left. Thankfully, no one noticed my absence and they only assumed I didn't know how to repair the devices so I didn't have to go back there."

Sasuke and Kakashi's mouths were totally sunk to the bottom of their jaws. _'HOW CAN HE SAY ALL THIS WITH A STRAIGHT FACE?'_

"It was a long time ago, I got over it," added Itachi, seeming to know what they were thinking of with their flabbergasted expressions. _'He's saying all of this without even having a bit of remorse for the test subjects. Normally people would be traumatized after encountering an incident like that; how can Itachi not be affected? Is he really all that uncaring and indifferent? No, Itachi's not that kind of person...' _thought the robot.

Sasuke knew not to doubt his understandings and deductions of the seemingly apathetic man and he was right. Itachi was not that kind of person. And what the AIR heard next only stronger supported his opinions.

"But despite everything, the memories don't go away, no matter how much you want them to..." said a soft, seemingly sad voice. Itachi had added the last part more so to tell himself. He had hoped that the two other occupants couldn't hear him. And with the soft voice he had used, it would probably have been inaudible to the others, if it wasn't for the fact that one was a robot. Kakashi didn't hear it, but Sasuke did. He heard the last part, added with an air of sorrow, laced delicately a ribbon of sadness. And he couldn't help wanting to sit down next to the now silent man, to comfort him, to tell him that it was okay, that it was alright to let go, and that no matter what, he wasn't going to walk down the tormented, melancholic road alone.

Sasuke gave a small smile to Itachi after taking a seat next to him, hoping that it would comfort him. In a situation like this, perhaps the only thing that could be done was to smile and hope that everything would turn out okay. _'But I want to do more. I want to do so much more. But I also don't want to chase him away; I don't want him to go back into his shell. Taking things quickly isn't going to do any good. I want to find out his past and help him, but it's hurting him just to tell me something like this. He may have said it with a straight face, but it's obvious his heart doesn't feel the same. He's not made of stone; he has feelings, even if they're locked deep inside, away from outsiders prying hands.' _"Forget about the dog thing and everything related to it. Kakashi's going to get rid of it right now, so don't think too much," comforted the AIR with a kind, gentle voice.

Kakashi heard the robot's comment and argued, "Hey, I'm not going to Konoha now. It's already too late. If you want it gone, you'll have to wait until tom..."

He never got to finish his sentence because Sasuke cut in with a menacing tone, "You will get rid of it today, right now, this very second. If not..." The AIR held his fist up and smacked it against the palm of his other hand. His face turned mean and vicious looking.

Again, Kakashi gulped and sweatdropped. _'I feel as though this is not the first time he's threatened me...' _Another malicious look from the robot and Kakashi immediately sped out the door saying, "I'll get my car! Just don't hurt me!"

Smiling at his victory, Sasuke turned back to Itachi, face all soft and gentle. Itachi just kept on staring at the robot, watching his little escapade with Kakashi, taking in how the robot was hostile and demanding one minute and softhearted and sweet-tempered the next. Sasuke noticed the stare and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Itachi was not one to dodge around subjects he really wanted answers to. He would be bold and bland without hesitation. This situation was no exception. "Do you get mood swings?"

"Huh," was all the robot could say.

"Nothing, never mind," said Itachi hurriedly, shaking his head. This was not the time to ask about mood swings, especially when Sasuke's swings would come out unexpectedly. Itachi didn't want to have to deal with a malicious robot at this moment. What he wanted was to close his eyes, relax, and forget about everything he had said today. Past memories brought back painful feelings he didn't want to deal with. _'I'll have to ask him one day. Got to remember that... Try to understand his mood swings.' _Unbeknownst to him, it was very easy to understand Sasuke's mood swings. You just had to look at the person, not the place, time, or atmosphere of discussion. Perhaps Itachi didn't notice this little factor.

At about this time, Kakashi entered the room and stated, "I got my car. It's outside. Now can you at least help me get this thing into the back. I doubt I can lift it myself."

Itachi made a move to stand up but Sasuke grabbed his arm gently and said, "Let me do it. You stay here." The long haired man decided to listen to the robot this time so he leaned back into the couch, watching as Sasuke got up from his seat next to him. The AIR went to the dog and lifted it up, grabbing the front paws and using it to hoist the rest of the body up onto his shoulders. He left the room with Kakashi trailing behind.

The crimson eyed man sighed and then shifted his position on the couch, changing from sitting to lying, body taking up the whole of the couch. He laid on his back and rested his arm on his face so that it successfully covered his eyes. He was drained, not physically, but emotionally. The robot had again caused him to remember something bad about his past. Although this had nothing to do with him creating the façade and isolating himself from others, it was still pretty mind-traumatizing and scary to deal with and recall. _'Sometimes I find I don't want the robot here. Yes, he did save me, and for that I am grateful. But having to deal with all the constant reminders that he's unconsciously giving off, it's hard. I can feel myself changing back, back to when I was innocent and ignorant to all the darkness in my life. I'm retrogressing, but I don't want this. To know I might face the same things all over again, it scares me. Why must my life turn out like this?' _

"Itachi?" A voice brought the said man back to his senses. Peeking from under his arm, Itachi's eyes landed on the robot's form hovering above him with a concerned face on no less. The AIR asked worriedly, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," answered Itachi, crushing any thoughts otherwise of the robot. He sat up before asking, "Is Kakashi gone?"

"Yeah. He kind of complained a little while we were outside. Had to have the body stuffed into a garbage bag no matter what. Probably didn't want others to see him dragging a dead corpse around the streets," replied Sasuke as he took a seat.

"You didn't have to make him. That body could have stayed here for another day," stated Itachi.

To this the robot retorted, "But getting rid of it sooner is better than later."

"I guess you're right." Recalling back to the previous night's attack, Itachi reiterated the AIR's earlier question to him, "Are you sure you're alright? The dog did hurt you badly. If you feel something weird or abnormal..."

"Are you worried about me?"

This question cut through to Itachi. He paused before answering, choosing his words carefully so it wouldn't give the notion that he was getting fond of the robot. That was impossible. _'I would never let myself get attached... right?' _"You got hurt just because of me. I should take responsibility to..."

The robot cut him off again. "These wounds were not inflicted because of you, so you shouldn't feel guilty for me getting hurt. I decided that course of action last night. It was purely my choice. So if anyone should be blamed for these wounds, it'd be me." "And also the dog," he added.

"But I still can't help thinking that it was my fault. It wanted me, you just got drawn into the fight," said Itachi.

"Whether it wanted me or you, I would have still chosen to fight either way," the robot claimed. _'I would have still fought to protect you. Because frankly, you're the only thing worth fighting for. You're the only thing worth getting hurt for.'_

Too bad Itachi was not a mind reader. Such a sweet thought was buried deep into the AIR's mind, without the said person who those thoughts mostly consisted of ever knowing of how the robot truly felt. Itachi looked up at the robot and met his eyes, looking deep into those obsidian with his own crimson in contrast. About a week ago, he had been scared to look into those eyes, in fear of all those emotions the robot held. Such strong emotions, he didn't know how to deal with them. It confused him as to what the robot was trying to convey; it surprised him; it scared him. But now, he could look into those eyes while keeping his composure. He was used to them, used to looking up into those eyes and seeing the vast expanse of vibrancy, so unlike his own dull blank orbs. And most of all, he was beginning to be able to distinguish those emotions held in those charcoal eyes. They appear during different times, materialize in inconsistent intervals, but Itachi was certain they did arise at some point during the robot's stay here.

_Anger... Disturbance... Sadness... Sympathy... Rage... Protectiveness... Concern... Happiness... Joy... Satisfaction... Warmth... Most of all, Sensibility..._

'_But I believe I've forgotten something: there's another thing in his eyes. I see it continuously, repeatedly. Not a day goes by where it doesn't flash by his eyes at least once. Sometimes it's so exposed, yet at others it's completely hidden. I can't name what it is. I just can't place it. How could one robot hold so much emotion inside him? Robots were created as an exact imitation of humans, but... Is it possible? Could that emotion that I keep seeing be...'_

Itachi left his thoughts there because something caught his eye and interest more. A small scratch on the robot's cornea. Unable to hold the question in, Itachi voiced outloud his thoughts, "Has that always been there_?"_

"What?" Sasuke saw how intently Itachi was looking at him and wondered just what the slender man was talking about.

"Wait here," Itachi ordered as he ran out of the room in a hurry. He came back holding a monocle like device. It certainly looked like a monocle with the circular frame of glass but it was thicker and the edges were lined with gears and small little levers as well as tiny turning knobs. "Open your eyes wider." The AIR obeyed. Itachi kneeled on the couch and, holding his body upright, brushed back Sasuke's hair from his eye and forehead. He held the small device up to his eye all the while turning the knobs and occasionally pulling a lever, adjusting the contrast and magnification. And soon enough, in the background of glassy black, a scratch was evident.

Sasuke asked, "What do you see?"

"A scratch on your cornea. It's shaped like a... 'D'..." Itachi trailed off there. He lowered the magnifier. There was nothing more to see, nothing more to confirm.

Sasuke watched Itachi lower his face and cast his eyes aside. Sensing the somber atmosphere, he questioned, "What is it?"

"The D-shaped scratch. From what I remember, it represents... one particular thing. Only assigned in a specific circumstance..." Itachi said no more, recalling what the mark symbolized in Konoha.

This worried Sasuke. He could tell Itachi was troubled over this scratch. "I don't know what you're talking about. Can you speak more clearly?"

Itachi shook his head. "Forget it. Let's just drop the subject."

"But..."

"Please..." said Itachi, more of begged than said. Sasuke noticed the tone and nodded his head in understanding. If Itachi didn't want to talk about it, he had no right to make him. _'But what is it that troubles him about a simple scratch? It's barely noticeable, and it doesn't affect me in any way. Sometimes I wish he would just... tell me... To know that he still doesn't trust me enough to open up... That I'm still walking this little distance from his side... With an invisible but tangible wall between us... Separating us so that I can't reach him...' _Sasuke thought as he closed his eyes and balled up his fists.

_This feeling of rejection... It hurts..._

Again, Sasuke found himself staring at Itachi again. He was doing it regularly now, but that didn't bother him. It didn't unnerve or discomfort him to realize he was getting a bit too attached to this alluring creature next to him. When he had let the dog bite him just to protect Itachi from harm, he didn't have any second thoughts during the course of action. He didn't care about himself; his mind had been on only one person. His response had been automatic, an instinct, an impulse. Perhaps this impulse had been built into him when he was made. Perhaps Itachi added it in when he fixed him. Or perhaps it had developed slowly itself. AIRs had an ability to learn and absorb information. Habits aren't present when humans are born, they establish themselves through experience and maturation. It is feasible that robots could have inherited that trait from their creators.

Itachi noticed the robot's eyes fixed on him. And it slightly unnerved him. So, to counter the stare, he used one of his evasive moves. Bring up another topic and hope that all will be forgotten. "I... believe the wounds on your hands have closed up by now. It... would be best... to remove the stitches..." And with that the crimson eyed man got up and sped out of the room in a quick second.

Slowing his pace as soon as he was out of the AIR's sight, Itachi began to cogitate at what he was doing. _'He obviously knows I'm keeping something from him. I'm deliberately avoiding it, but I can't help it. How am I supposed to tell him... yet me refusing to tell him is just making things worse. I'm certain I saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. And it makes me feel... terrible. But why am I so affected by this? We're not THAT close. I mean, I saved him, he saved me. He needs a place to stay, I'm giving him that. Purely out of the kindness of my heart, and nothing else. Yes, we did... hug, but if it wasn't for that, then I would have died. And last night, when I was dressing his new wounds...' _Itachi recalled that moment when he had his forehead pressed againstSasuke's back. Now looking back, this action greatly disturbed him. Why, because first of all, it didn't bother him in the least bit. Usually, he would stray away from close contact with another. Yet he had been the one to initial the motion. _'Perhaps the fact that I almost could have died added with the fact that Sasuke did get hurt to protect me caused me to let go of my defenses. I had felt really grateful, and perhaps much relaxed. And that was to thank him... so there's nothing else. There's nothing between us, there never was, and there never will be. And once he leaves...' _Itachi narrowed his eyes at the thought. _'He's not going to leave... is he?' _And that was the problem.

Returning back after getting the scissors and forceps, Itachi composed himself and sat back down next to the AIR. "Your hands," he asked as he extended his own out. The robot willingly stretched out one first and Itachi grabbed it gently. Turning the hand over and inspecting the bandages, he carefully cut the strips of cloth and unraveled them. As he worked, Itachi couldn't help noticing how small and dainty his hands were compared to the robot's strong, bigger hands. Eyeing the AIR's muscular frame, the long haired man thought to himself, _'He's probably strong enough to kill me with one blow, depending on where he hits. I wouldn't even be able to retaliate or fight back if he was to attack me. I doubt he would now, but... Later on, who knows. And considering the scratch, or seal, I should call it, perhaps all this will change once he does remember everything. That seal is only assigned in the most severe of cases.'_

Itachi tried concentrating on his task instead of his slightly whimsical thoughts, but they were so hard to ignore. Jumping to conclusions was so easy; the hard part was to convince yourself that everything is just guessing after scaring yourself. _'There's something wrong with him. Now that I think about it, why hasn't anything about a missing robot come out yet? Why is his memories blocked? Is he hiding something? And what's going to happen once he remembers? Am I in danger? There's something about him that isn't right?' _

"Sasuke..." Itachi suddenly says.

"Huh?" the robot replies, surprised by the sudden outburst. "What is it?"

"Answer this question: do you wish to go home?" Before the AIR has a chance to reply, Itachi continues, "Don't you want to regain your memories and go back to where you truly belong?"

"I do, but I'm not to the point where I'm desperately wanting it..."

"Why?" asked Itachi shortly after Sasuke gave his answer.

"I'd be nice to know and to find out who I truly am, but to be honest, I..." Sasuke paused, wondering if he should admit that he was happy being with Itachi and that he kind of didn't want to leave him. _'Maybe I shouldn't say it...' _"I..."

"Yes?"

'_Oh shit! Quick, think of something fast.' _"I... want to repay you for saving me," Sasuke responded. _'Well, that's not technically a lie since I do want to return his kindness.'_

"You already did, when you saved me from the dog," declared Itachi as he narrowed his eyes. "Now what explanation do you have to give me?"

"Well, I might feel as though it's not enough to fully repay you," the AIR replied lightly. Inside though, he could feel nervousness run down his entire body.

"There's another reason, isn't there?" Itachi carefully snipped away the strands of suture woven into the biological flesh. "Why you won't leave?" His eyes held suspicion in them. _'There's something wrong with him. That seal is evidence that I'm right...' _

'_He knows?' _"No... of course not. Why would there be?" _'But there is... I want to stay, because not only do I want to thank you, I want... to be with you. You're the only one who can make me feel this... sensation. You calmed me when I was scared; you helped me when I needed it the most. You gave me a home, continued to care for me, and... made me happy. Even if I was to remember everything, I wouldn't forget you. I can't simply walk away just because I have another life somewhere else... I can't let go... I don't think I'd be able to let go... I promised to make you smile, and even if that promise is fulfilled, I'm not going to be satisfied enough to leave. I don't want to stay here only just to keep promises and repay kindness. I... want to stay because of you... I know you're not my creator and I know I don't belong here... But was it simply an accident that I would crash into your yard and meet someone as wonderful as you? I fell, only for an angel to take my hand and lead me back up to the light.'_

'_Can't you see, Itachi, how important you are to me?'_

Itachi couldn't see it. He couldn't see how the robot truly felt. In fact, the only thing he wanted the most was for Sasuke to leave and get out of his life. His thoughts about the AIR were completely different. _'He's changing everything I worked so hard to build up: my isolation, my façade, my invisible barriers, and my past I had worked so hard to seal up. Each day, he's causing me to reveal something about myself. I try to keep it in, but it just seeps out without my control. I'm starting to get attached to him; I'm starting to grow fond of him. How could I not notice it: I'm slipping. My whole world is breaking down... I don't want that... I don't want to take the chance... I don't want to get hurt again. I hate what he's doing.'_

'_I want you to leave. I want you to get out of my life. And most of all, I want to forget all about you, Sasuke.' _

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It's so sad! Sasuke cares so much for him yet Itachi doesn't want him there. It's so heartbreaking. Anyways, I bet you all are wondering about the scratch. Well, it will all be explained in the next chapter so you're all going to have to wait. Yes, next chapter will explain about why Itachi's so paranoid and doubtful now.

July 23rd, yeah! Happy Birthday Sasuke! I'm sorry I got a dog to maul you in the story! Everything will get better, everything always does.

Review please. And thanks for all the reviews so far. They are so wonderful.


	11. Chapter 11

Today... Is my... BIRTHDAY PEOPLES! October 31st! Whoohoo! Was waiting for this day to come forever. And as a celebration of my birthday, this is the first of several treats I have to give out. Enjoy chapter 11...

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The moon shone brightly through the windows and into the still, silent room. Two eyes of crimson snapped open as a figure slowly rose from the bed, careful not to make any noise. Itachi brushed loose strands of hair from his face as he pulled the covers off his body. Standing up, he kept his eyes on the door as he got dressed swiftly. Sasuke's door was slightly left ajar and Itachi was watching for any movement whatsoever from the room across from him. He knew Sasuke was asleep, but it was better to be safe. His light steps made no noise as he exited his room and quietly made his way down the hall towards the stairs. Itachi glanced behind his back to see if anyone was following him, more specifically Sasuke. Itachi descended the stairs briskly without uttering a sound. Not even a small thump could be allowed since robots had a good sense of hearing.

Putting on his shoes, Itachi carefully opened the door a crack and slipped out the house. He set the door back gently and made his way down the porch steps and into the moonlit road. The wind blew into his face and weaved through his hair as he walked hastily down the road, passing silhouettes and shadows of the scenery around him. Itachi didn't bother tying his hair; it would only just be a minute. He would go back to sleep afterwards.

Nearing Kakashi's house, Itachi crossed that distance and made his way to the back of the house. He entered through the back door, since Kakashi would never lock it, and went straight to the living room, the only room with the light on. Kakashi was sitting on the couch, arms crossed, apparently waiting for his nighttime visitor. When that said visitor entered, the first thing the white haired man said was, "So, what's the deal?"

Itachi grabbed a seat and sat down as well. Again Kakashi asked, "You're the one who arranged this meeting, and without Sasuke's knowledge I might add. Just what is it that you have to tell me that he can't know of?"

The crimson eyed man chose to ask him another question instead of answering. "What have you found out about Sasuke while in Konoha?"

"Absolutely nothing. There's no missing reports, no files, no data, no nothing."

"That is exactly what I came to talk to you about," Itachi declared. "There's something wrong with him."

Kakashi's visible eye widened a little. "What do you mean?"

Itachi continued, "Don't you think it's strange how, despite so many days that have passed, there hasn't been a single reporting for him?"

"Maybe they haven't realized he's gone yet? Or maybe they just don't care about him?"

Itachi brushed a strand of hair behind his ear before saying, "Just yesterday, I found a scratch mark on his left eye."

"So?"

"It was shaped like a D. Normally not many people would know this but there are times when certain robots become rogue and start committing crimes, some as small as thievery and some leading up to murder. It doesn't always happen and there only a few cases each year. I've dealt with these robots in the past. Most of them turn out to be AIRs whose ideals slowly evolved due to experience and their artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is helpful because it gives a robot power to act on their own wills instead of always having to be controlled. They can perform tasks without the guidance of a human. But sometimes a robot will begin to have... certain thoughts and it's that intelligence that fuels it. When they go beyond the point of no return, when their ideals can't be erased from their perceptual framework, they have to be destroyed," Itachi said. "And that's where the scratch comes in. Once they are set for demolition, they are branded with a seal onto their corneas. A seal shaped like a D."

"You're saying Sasuke was supposed to be destroyed," Kakashi voiced. "That he's dangerous?"

"I'm not saying I'm certain. It could just be a coincidence... But I have to say, there is something wrong with him," the long haired man declared. "He came on a UPAS airship but if he was one of the workers, they would have filed a report immediately. From the knowledge I know of Konoha and it's regulating structures plus the policies robots abide by, Sasuke doesn't fit anywhere in the system. A robot with a blocked memory, plus the seal on his eye, add on the fact that he suddenly appears out of nowhere... It's been more than a week. Konoha's databases are the most up-to-date and missing people or robots would automatically be recorded in their files. Missing people are usually found one to two days after reported. But there hasn't been a single reporting for Sasuke."

'_God, this is too much information...' _Kakashi rubbed his head as he took in everything that Itachi was telling him. It was strange, he had to admit that. But there was another thing he had to wonder about more. "Okay, so what if he really was that kind of robot you said he was. What are we supposed to do about it?"

Itachi answered almost immediately. "First off, I want him to leave. I can't deal with having a wanted robot in my house. If he's not demolished, then he's wanted. Once you have that seal branded onto you, it's that or the other."

Kakashi spoke, "You do realize that if he was to know about this, about you wanting him to leave... he's going to be very hurt. I can tell he cares about you a lot."

"I know," Itachi replied, lowering his eyes. "I admit, he's starting to grow on me just like when I met you. But unlike you, he has to leave. He has to go back there if he's wanted."

"But he's just going to be destroyed. You really want that for him," Kakashi asked.

"If it's his fate there's nothing I can do about it."

Kakashi looked at the red eyed man solemnly. "He saved you."

"I know..."

"And you're just gonna let him die?"

Itachi opened his mouth but closed it, contemplating his response. Finally, without an ounce of remorse, he answered, "Yes."

Kakashi chuckled darkly. "How cruel. He cares so much about you and here you go saying you're gonna send him to his death."

"I could be wrong about the seal..."

"But even if you are, even if he's not that kind of robot, you're still gonna make him leave, aren't you," the white haired man asked.

"I feel as though you're interrogating me," Itachi said. "Just want are you trying to say?"

The other man sighed as he ran a hand through his spiky white hair. "I'm not trying to say anything. But I do feel sorry for Sasuke. He cares about you so much... Haven't you noticed how he acts around you?"

'_Believe me... I feel guilty just saying these things, but I can't ignore it no matter how much I want to...' _But to keep up the façade, Itachi would have to say those things. He had to have the robot leave before he got too close to him. It would only hurt in the end, just like how everything in his life ended in pain.

"Somehow, I get the feeling you don't want him to leave only because he's suspicious. You want him to leave because you don't want him to ruin this secluded life of yours."

Crimson eyes looked at him. A flash of disbelief crossed his face before it disappeared. "I knew it," Kakashi said as he noticed the small expression of emotions. "He's changing you."

There was only one thing Itachi could think of to do. Pretend he didn't know anything. "What do you mean?"

"You think I'm stupid. I may suck when it comes to robots and technology but don't think I'm a total dumbass at human emotions and behavior," Kakashi said, smiling even though Itachi could not see it. "I've known you for a year and I haven't ever seen you talk or show as much emotion as you have been doing recently. You rarely talk about your past and yet during these past few days I've learned more about you than I could ever learn in a year. He's making you open up."

'_Even he's noticed it?' _Itachi didn't know what to say. Kakashi had nailed him right on the mark. It appeared as thought there was more to the masked man than meets the eye. Sure, he looked lazy and easy-going, always reading porn books, yet the man was as sharp as a needle. He could perceive things better than anyone. Even see through the mask Itachi was putting up.

Kakashi's eyes turned into up-side down U's again. "I'm correct, aren't I?"

"I... You..."

"Bingo, I got you. You've always been able to show emotion. You're just as much a human being as I am, able to feel happiness and sadness. But for whatever reason something happened to you, something that changed you. And from what I can guess, your terrible past that you wanted to forget has something to do with a robot."

With each word that Kakashi was saying, Itachi's eyes became colder as they narrowed. Damn that guy was sharp.

"Sasuke is forcing you to relive that past and that's why you want him gone."

He hesitated, contemplating if he should admit it. Kakashi was right anyways. There was nothing more to hide. Itachi uttered one word softly. "Yes."

Nodding, Kakashi said, "He's not gonna hurt you, you know that? He cares a lot about you."

"But I don't want to care about him," Itachi argued. "He's a robot."

"So? He may be a robot but who knows? He might also be someone capable of changing your views. It'd be nice if you could show some emotion. All I ever see is sadness and I've gotten tired of that a long time ago," Kakashi responded.

"I don't plan on ever getting close to him. I want him to leave and I want to forget all about him. I don't care what he's doing for me."

"Now that's mean..."

"I don't care if it's mean," the long haired man said coldly.

"You're gonna hurt him," Kakashi started.

"He has no heart, just a bunch of machinery in there. He can never know what being hurt truly feels like. He can never feel it physically and I doubt he can ever feel it mentally or emotionally."

'_He's only saying these things to convince himself, to make himself feel better. In reality I bet he's really guilty about it too,' _Kakashi thought to himself. "Can you really stand being that callous and apathetic?"

"I can," was the answer he got.

Kakashi only nodded. In his mind, however, he really didn't believe Itachi to be that kind of person. Still, he had to say this at least. "He's going to find out sooner or later. You can't keep this from him forever. Especially the scratch mark."

"I'm well aware of that."

The two then sat in complete silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Kakashi was thoroughly going through the information he had just received, trying to find something wrong in Itachi's reasoning. In reality, despite the fact Sasuke could necessarily be a wanted robot, a part of him actually wanted the AIR to stay, to remain here. Sasuke would occasionally threaten him and although they sometimes got into petty arguments Kakashi had to admit, he thought of Sasuke as a friend. Just knowing that this friend could be potentially dangerous, it was frightening to say the least.

Itachi stared at his entwined fingers on his lap, face composed as though this had nothing to do with him. Outside, it was as though he didn't care if he had just doubted and backstabbed someone who cared so much for him. Inside however, he was feeling guilt rack at every cell in his body. _'He saved me from being eaten by a dog... And he's always looking after my well-being, always asking me if I'm alright with that concerned look. He trusted me and here I am saying things about him behind his back. I shouldn't be doubting him... But I can't help it. I can't help these thoughts. No matter how much I want to tell myself that I'm just over-thinking things, that it's no big deal, I can't. I can't ignore this, especially when it ties so much with my past. The past that I don't want to repeat ever.'_

'_I put my trust in someone... and I got hurt. I don't want to feel this pain ever again even if it means rejecting any form of comfort or affection.' _

Itachi's thoughts were interrupted by Kakashi's laid-back voice. "What do you think he's gonna do if he finds out the truth?"

"About his memories?"

The white haired man added, "And what you just told me."

"The key to unlocking his blocked memories is a thought-activated password. His thoughts are already limited to what I've put into his mind and our daily lives up to this point. It could be anything, a name, a made-up word that only he knows of, a series of numbers. Accessing it is probably not going to happen anytime soon but if he does happen to remember, I have no idea what's going to happen. Perhaps he would revert back to his original programming and view us differently. Or maybe he might continue being who he is now, just with memories of another life," Itachi answered emotionlessly. "As for how he's going to react if he was to ever know of our discussion..."

"He's going to be hurt," Kakashi finished.

"Or he might be angered."

To this, Kakashi nodded his head. _'He's going to feel betrayed. We're practically backstabbing him. I just hope he won't turn violent because of this. Those threats I've seen may just be jokes but that fist is real. If he was to use it, we wouldn't be able to last.' _"It's probably better if he didn't know. For some reason, I feel like a criminal. It feels wrong to keep something so important from him like this, especially when it pertains significantly to him."

Itachi didn't respond, instead decided to lower his head as he let his bangs shadow his eyes. This was something that should not be kept a secret but before he could fully assess the situation and affirm the authenticity of his conclusions, it would be of the best interest to hide this from the AIR until they could come up with a solution, if there was one. Vermilion eyes stared blankly down as his heart clenched at the ongoing thoughts. _'Somewhere deep inside, a part of me doesn't want him to leave. Even though it's practically obvious that I'm setting myself up for pain, a part of me wishes... hopes that this time will be different. He will leave eventually... but I let myself get close. I forgot what it felt like to be cared for, to lean in the comfort of another. I unconsciously embraced that fleeting feeling, even if it was just for a moment. And I loved it. That feeling... no matter how much I tried to ignore it, to push it off.' _

'_Why is it so hard to trust someone? But what's even more harder is to trust yourself with this feeling, to hope... forever that you won't get hurt once more.' _

Itachi was too lost in his thoughts to notice and Kakashi was never one to pay cautious attention to his surroundings. Perhaps it was because of the shadows that can successfully conceal a person. Or maybe it was the quiet and wary attention that came out. But whatever was the case, both occupants of the room were not aware of the two onyx colored eyes that watched them from around the corridor.

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Damn, I like this chapter. It's so heart wrenching. Oh damn, someone's watching them. You can obviously tell who but how will he react then, hmm? Well, the next chapter will reveal that along with some more things.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Man, I'm so happy. That's my first treat to you all! And please review.


	12. Chapter 12

Woah boy, this update took LONG! I apologize to those who waited so patiently for the next chapter of Mechanical Heart. It's just that I think I wrote myself in a bubble. And by bubble I mean REALLY BIG bubble, the kind that makes your brain feel like tofu. Ugh, been so busy lately too. Sigh, well here you go readers! Oh and also I want to THANK YOU SO MUCH for the lovely reviews you have been leaving! They motivate me so much!

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Itachi had been the first one that he had ever laid eyes on. The man with the eyes as red as blood was the one who had repaired him. He was the first one to talk to him when he was scared and confused as hell. Itachi gave him the knowledge he needed to calm himself. It was the harmonious soothing feeling emitted that gave him happiness and comfort. That man was like his angel that guided him through the darkness and into the light. It was he who saved him; he who stitched him up when he was broken and damaged. And Sasuke trusted him. Sasuke would have risked his life to keep him from harm's way. He wanted to help him so much.

'_But despite everything, he accuses me of being a traitor. He wants me to leave. He wants me to be destroyed... I try everything to make him happy, to keep him safe. HOW COULD HE JUST THROW ME AWAY LIKE THAT? Making me leave is no different than trashing me so I could be destroyed and recycled, how could he be so cruel! I just wanted to help him!' _Sasuke balled up his fists as he walked down the dirt road back to Itachi's house. On the outside, he was fuming. Teeth were clenched tightly while fingernails dug into the flesh on his hand. The earlier conversation kept replaying in his mind.

'_How could they keep something so important from me? They're treating me as though I'm not even here, as though I'm an object to trash freely without any say in the matter!' _Sasuke's mind screamed at him to do something about it. He couldn't just let it go. In fact, at that very moment, the only thing he wanted to do was burst right into the room with all of his fury unleashed.

But he couldn't. He couldn't deal with Itachi, the one person who could cause him to swell with happiness... and break with such sadness. Which was why he was currently hurrying home so that Itachi would not discover him listening in.

_He has no heart, just a bunch of machinery in there. He can never know what being hurt truly feels like. He can never feel it physically and I doubt he can ever feel it mentally or emotionally._

'_You're wrong Itachi, I do have a heart. It's not there physically like yours and it doesn't beat or stop if I die. If I really didn't have a heart, then why am I feeling this unmistakable thing known as pain. I could never feel anything if I was to be stabbed a hundred times and yet... with just your words, why does it feel as though something inside of me is hurting?' _Outside, the AIR looked seething mad but on the inside, past the hyperalloy chassis, microprocessors, hydraulic servomechanisms, and electrostatic silicon nanowires was something that emotion chips barely scratched the surface of.

The robot threw open the front door, climbed up the stairs, and collapsed into his bed. He shut his eyes as he desperately tried to blank out his mind. He didn't want to think about anything right now. He just wanted to fall back asleep and wake up telling himself that it was all just a bad dream. He didn't want the scratch mark to be real. He didn't want to be demolished. And most of all, he didn't want for Itachi to force him to leave.

Night turned into day quickly as the sun rose from it's resting spot east where the mountains were. Glassy onyx eyes opened as the robot sat up and looked out the window. Although the sun was shining so brilliantly, everything seemed bleak and discouraging to him. But of course why wouldn't it? The one he wanted to be with so much wanted him gone. What was so happy about that?

Sasuke walked down the stairs with an emotionless expression on. He heard sizzling from the kitchen and almost on instinct, his feet changed direction. He wasn't going into the dining room like he would usually do. He was heading through the hallway to the front door. He just couldn't face Itachi after what he had heard last night. The man he had trusted so much had just turned his back on him. The robot opened the door and headed out onto the front porch, resting his elbows on the railing as he leaned on the banister. His eyes were half-lidded as he couldn't focus on anything in front of him. He was sulking, not like there was any other reaction he could think of that fit the situation. There was anger; that was very much established.

Footsteps sounded from inside the hallway and a few minutes later, Itachi came out of the house with a bag of Kakashi's breakfast. His eyes were still the same blank emotionless orbs as always. _'Nothing's changed. Why did I ever think it would? Why did I even hope for it? He's never going to change; he's never going to show emotion! What was I thinking? All my efforts were just a complete waste of time. Everything I did was all for nothing. Everything I did for him would all end with him sending me to get destroyed. Why did I even bother,' _the AIR found himself thinking. The long haired man walked down the stairs and looked back once he noticed Sasuke not following him. "Aren't you coming," Itachi asked the silent robot.

Sasuke took one look at him and anger flashed throughout his system. _'How could he pretend as though nothing's wrong? How could he continue to be polite and expect me to follow him when just last night he wanted me destroyed?' _The robot narrowed his eyes in silent rage as his jaw clenched tightly. He felt hurt, betrayed on the inside. And Itachi was still looking at him confused like there was nothing wrong in the world.

The last thing Itachi saw was a look of resentment from the AIR before the robot marched back into the house, slamming the door behind him. That look stayed in Itachi's mind even as he walked along down the path to Kakashi's house alone. It felt weird walking alone; he didn't have the robot's company. _'Why do I feel so guilty? I was only stating a fact that cannot be changed. I don't want to be close to him... so why am I feeling this way? I decided from the very beginning to reject his comfort so why? Why do I feel so much lonelier than I was before when I lived alone?' _His heart couldn't help but want the comfort no matter what his mind told him. It was human nature to reach out, to do whatever it took to belong. Humans instinctively would rather stand in a group than stand alone. They would inevitably pursue comfort no matter what they have faced in the past. Itachi couldn't deny that his heart wanted someone there for him. But he chose to ignore it. Still...

'_Just what is this? This feeling of loss...' _

Itachi made his way up the steps and into Kakashi's house. Sasuke's look of hatred had still not disappeared from his mind. He had never seen the robot look at him with that much spite. He had seen many emotions cross the AIR's face but never animosity or loathing, especially towards him. Those steel cold eyes bit into his flesh and stabbed at his heart. He had never prepared himself for what was to happen if Sasuke was to hate him. But there was nothing he could do about it. He deserved all of Sasuke's scorn for the things he had said last night. _'Wait, could it be? Did Sasuke somehow find out about everything?' _

The crimson eyed man knocked frantically at the door in front of him. This was bad and he had no idea what to do. A voice sounded from inside. "WAIT! JEEZ, I'M COMING!"

Kakashi opened the door and Itachi hurried inside. "We're in trouble. I think Sasuke knows everything already."

Kakashi's visible eye widened in shock. "What? How can he?"

"I don't know. He must have followed me out last night. Ahh, how could I have been so careless." Itachi tried to calm his mind and think of what to do now. Sasuke knew everything, and he was probably pissed beyond hell. This was really bad. And Kakashi was just staring at him like he was in a trance. _'Why is he looking at me like that?' _"What?"

"Nothing," Kakashi answered. But it was more than nothing. In that one moment of time, the white haired man saw something he never thought he would ever see in his life. A small glimmer of emotion in Itachi's eyes. The vermilion orbs were always emotionless and unresponsive, empty and lifeless like the eyes of a porcelain doll. In that one moment, Kakashi could swear he saw something living, something alive in those eyes. Those blank hollow eyes had changed for a split second, he was sure of it.

'_In that one fleeting second, Itachi's hollow eyes were filled with emotion.' _

Sasuke had done it. He had broken the façade even if it was just for one moment. All of the robot's efforts were not a total waste. Sasuke had succeeded. The bad part? Itachi didn't know of his momentarily display, Kakashi was occupied with worrying about what to do now that their secret was out, and Sasuke hated him. Wonderful.

"What should we do now," Kakashi asked.

"I really don't know," Itachi replied as he lowered his eyes and admitted, "He looked as though he wanted to kill me." _'Sasuke wouldn't do that, would he,' _Kakashi thought to himself. "Here's your breakfast." Seeing the bag of food, Kakashi's eye immediately gleamed as he took it greedily to the dining table.

Itachi, however, stayed standing in the hallway just overlooking the living room. He ran his fingers through his bangs as he tried to think of what to do. _'Sasuke's at home right now, probably waiting for me. And I have to go back there sooner or later. I can't run away. This is all my fault. If only I hadn't let my mind wander... Why couldn't I just trust him? Why did I have to doubt him? He never hurt me. I caused all of this... and now who knows what he's going to do.' _

"Are you alright?"

Itachi raised his head and met Kakashi's concerned face. The red eyed man sighed and answered, "I'm in a predicament that is deprived of all hopes of escape." He ran his hands through his hair again out of hopelessness. "Why am I so mistrusting? Why did I have to doubt him?"

"Why do you even care anyways?"

This question surprised Itachi and instinctively he turned his head towards the man who even asked such a question. "What do you mean by that," the long haired man asked.

"I mean why do you care. You said you didn't want to have anything to do with Sasuke. You declared it clearly yourself that you don't care about him and that if he gets destroyed it's not your problem. You were so sure of it yourself. So why is it that right now, now that he knows everything, you wish you didn't say any of that? Since when did you start caring about Sasuke's emotions," Kakashi replied.

"I..."

"Apparently I remember you saying 'He's a robot' and thus you don't want to care about him. Seeing as though you don't care, what does it matter to you if Sasuke knows or not?" With that said, Kakashi waited for his answer.

But Itachi didn't say anything. How could he? His brain just couldn't produce an answer of any kind right then and there. Everything was a jumbled mess as he began to question his own reactions and priorities. _'Why... Why DO I care so much? I shouldn't care at all; the robot's feelings have nothing to do with me. Kakashi's right, what does it matter to me? I shouldn't be acting like this. I made my decision not to get close to him. I specifically told myself of this. So why am I acting like this? Why? What is this? Why do I feel this way? Why? Why? WHY?' _

Realization hit him like a full slap to the face.

'_Why? Because I never did actually manage to suppress my emotions...'_

'_Why? Because my heart unconsciously reached out for someone...'_

'_Why? Because all along I wanted someone to be there for me...'_

Crimson eyes closed as he felt his heart clench in pain.

_Why? Because... I care about him..._

_Why? Because he's... become so important to me..._

_Why? Because... I... In reality I... _

He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't. But his mind forced him to continue, to finish that last train of thought.

_I... don't want him to leave me... ever..._

Kakashi, seeing as though Itachi wasn't going to answer, took one of the containers of food out and, while opening it, stated, "We can't help what our minds concoct for us. Humans can't help but have doubts; not all of us are worthy to be trusted as so it's our natural defense against it."

Itachi didn't say anything.

"But I don't blame you for your suspicions. The human mind is all about wondering, knowing, imaging up the possibilities, and to understand or get to an understanding. And so we tend to get off on irrational ideals and that in turn tests on how far we can stay in the boundaries of reality. Sometimes we drift so far that we can't go back. And in turn, we start to doubt the people around us, mistrusting and misunderstanding them," Kakashi said. "Humans... we are so full of flaws. No matter how much we try to justify our accusations, in the end they're all just excuses. We see what we want to believe. Pretty soon, that's all that we see despite the evidence against it. And when you finally realize it to be wrong, it's already too late; actions have been done and the only thing that's left is the consequences."

Kakashi dug into his food soon after finishing his speech, leaving Itachi standing in the hallway threshold with his head hung low. The white haired man's words kept repeating itself in his mind like a mantra. And the scary part was that all those words were the truth.

Itachi walked to the couch and slowly sat down, his head never lifting from it's downward position. Then, he began in a soft voice, "Sasuke... When we found him, when I saved him, when he woke up, I had never actually wanted him in my life. I had thought that nothing would change, that I'd continue on with my life as it was even before his arrival. I had never thought that..." He trailed off there. "I... really enjoy his company. I never thought that he would grow to be such an impact on my life. In just a few days since I met him, I felt... I felt... like myself again. I had never felt this way in a long time, ever since the incident... It's true what they say, humans cannot help but clutch desperately to others. They cannot help but want to belong, to feel embraced, to be in the comfort of another. Now I know what this feeling of loss is. I've tried so hard to grow distant to others, to never feel this way ever again, to never get hurt but in the end, I can never escape it. It's not what I'm trying so hard to do, but it's what I keep rejecting that's leading me down this path. I lost everything important to me a long time ago; I didn't want anymore precious things to lose."

Itachi balled his hands into fists as memories came swarming his way, memories of a past he wanted so desperately to forget. _'But no matter how much you try to forget it, you can still never escape it.' _"But precious things... are the one things that humans live for. They pursue happiness and those things are what'll give them happiness." By now, Itachi was digging into the fabric of his pants as he felt his voice crack.

Kakashi had paused in his eating a long time ago to listen to the other. And this was really surprising him. _'If this was the same Itachi about a week ago, he would have never said any of those things; he would have never showed any weakness or emotion. He would have never admitted any of this. But now, here he is admitting everything. Clearly he's changed.' _

Itachi opened his mouth, seemingly to say something but closed it after a second. He searched deep in his mind, wondering if he should say this, if this was really the truth and not some excuse his mind created for him. Finally, he decided to say it. It was true.

"I... want Sasuke... to stay with me."

Everything just flowed out after that, like a dam that had burst after it developed a little crack. Itachi couldn't stop himself. "I don't want him to leave! I don't want to ever be alone again! I don't want to feel this way! I don't want him to be demolished and I don't hope that he will remember everything and leave. Everything I said, I take it back!"

A single tear rolled from crimson eyes down a porcelain cheek.

"He's... become so important to me. He saved my life; he's tried to make me happy; he protected me. That face that's always looking at me with such kindness and gentleness, now that I see that look of hatred, I can't help but develop this feeling inside of me. And it's all my fault; I caused all of this. Such a feeling of loss, why do I have to experience this again? Why does it hurt so much? I want to apologize to him. I want him to forgive me. I don't want to see that look of utter resentment in his eyes ever."

"I'm sure that if he was here right now, if he had heard everything you said just now, he would forgive you," Kakashi replied with a smile. "Because frankly, what you just confessed really means a lot. Especially since you held it in for so long."

Itachi stayed quiet and Kakashi, sensing that this conversation was over, proceeded to go back to eating his breakfast.

Another tear rolled down. Followed by another. And then another.

It hurt so much, to have something and then lose it by your own hand. You really don't realize when something's precious to you until you lose it; that's when you start to regret everything. To wish that it didn't have to be this way. _'Yet why am I realizing this now? I should have realized this sooner. What good is now going to do to me?' _

'_When I've already lost everything...'_

Kakashi had no idea what Itachi was going through at that moment, the utter display of emotion the long haired man had on. He could only see the back of the said man's head and could only hear the blanket of silence that had engulfed the whole house after the confession.

He didn't notice the tears that were rolling down, the form that was trembling ever so slightly, the fists that were curled so tightly, or the mouth that was clenched in an effort to hold the sobs in.

No one noticed. At that moment, he felt truly alone in this world. And this time, Sasuke wasn't there to comfort him.

* * *

Wow, this chapter is really... really... Okay I'm speechless. I think I just amazed myself. Yay for me!

Anyways... PWEASE VOTE IN MAH POLL!

I have this poll on my profile page. On it is a question of 'which story would you like to see updated?' This poll is probably going to stay on for forever and it's going to be open for forever.

So the importance of it all is that I want to know which stories you like so that I can update that specific one and work on it more. Whichever one gets more votes I will write specifically that one so the others will probably not get that many updates. If you would like to see a story updated more than the others then please vote otherwise the stories I may be updating might not be to your liking.

I really like reader interaction and I love to see your guy's opinions on this. It makes me happy to know that I have so many readers out there. So please review because I appreciate you for leaving your thoughts even if it's just a couple of words.

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	13. Chapter 13

Hi everyone. Wow, it's been more than two years since I've updated this story. Hope you haven't forgotten about me. Sorry for not updating but I had some personal problems to deal with in my life that really affected me. I want to thank everyone who has stuck with me for two years for waiting so patiently for this chapter. I cannot thank you enough for not giving up on me. During those two years, at one point I had been thinking of dropping this, practically because I was in a depressive state back then but now, forget it. I like writing. I like writing this. And I sure as hell am not giving up on finishing this. So, after a long awaited two years, I give you... Chapter 13.

* * *

'_Why does it hurt so much? Why do I feel this pain deep inside me? This heart-wrenching pain, I feel as though a thousand needles are stabbing into me, like I'm drowning in a sea of darkness and no matter what I do, I can't see the light. I shouldn't be feeling this. I'm incapable of feeling something like this.'_

Those cold words of Itachi's had finally gotten to the poor AIR. He was expendable. In the end, he was just an object to be destroyed with no say in the matter. His opinion didn't matter; his feelings didn't matter. Why? It was just because of what he was.

'_I'm a robot...'_

'_I'm a man-made creation...'_

'_I'm artificial...'_

'_I'm fake...'_

'_Everything I feel should only be artificial. You can't make something alive from non-living material. He says I can't feel pain; I'm not supposed to. So then what is this that I'm feeling right now? He says I don't have a heart...' _Sasuke sat quietly in the dining room, his face blank and utterly devoid of emotion. The anger and resentment that had manifested itself so violently earlier on was gone and replacing it was the empty feeling of sorrow. He had been absolutely livid earlier but that open animosity had been just a front, his open display of disbelief. It was after Itachi had left that Sasuke truly had the time to sit down and take in everything. Everything that had happened so far was slowly being played back within his memories starting from day one of how they had met, how Itachi had saved him, how they occasionally joked around at the dinner table with Kakashi, the incident with the dog, the D-shaped scratch that was found on his cornea, and his most recent discovery of the kind of person Itachi truly was. _'Itachi doesn't care... He never cared... I wasn't going to change anything. What was I thinking? Who did I think I was? How could a robot, whose feelings are artificial, have been able to bring happiness to a human? What made me think I could make him smile? What made me even try? My happiness was fake... Wasn't it Itachi? Just like everything about me is fake.'_

Fake. Artificial. Synthetic. Fabricated. Those words cut deeply into Sasuke. Itachi had never actually said those things about him but the robot knew he had meant something along those lines. He was real, wasn't he? He was tangible; he could see, hear, smell, feel, everything that a normal human could have done. He existed, right? He was there, wasn't he? And he had felt something throughout those days that he had spent with Itachi, hadn't he? He felt something, something powerful and warm, he HAD felt it. That had to have been real... right?

Humans felt with their hearts. They cared with their hearts.

_He has no heart, just a bunch of machinery in there._

But he wasn't human. He had no heart.

_He can never know what being hurt truly feels like. He can never feel it physically and I doubt he can ever feel it mentally or emotionally._

So what was he feeling now? Was this feeling fake as well, just like he was?

'_I'm wanted. I'm going to be demolished... I never had a future... Even before I lost my memories.'_

_...If it's his fate there's nothing I can do about it._

_...I want him to leave._

_...I don't want to care about him._

_...I don't plan on ever getting close to him. _

_...I want him to leave and I want to forget all about him. _

_...I don't care what he's doing for me._

'_Is that what you really want, Itachi? Are those your true thoughts?'_ Onyx eyes filled with anguish stared at his hands that were entwined in front of him on the table. A million things were flashing through his brain, all zooming past his eyes like the speed of light. He felt many things. He was scared. He was confused. He was disconcerted. But most of all, he was hurt. He felt betrayed. By the one person who he had come to care for the most. By the one person who he had wanted to help the most. By the one person who he had wanted to bring happiness to.

Happiness...

But how could he bring happiness? When his own happiness was all fake? So what did all those times mean to him? All those times he smiled, all those times he felt warm on the inside, all those times he himself cared for another? All those times he wanted to protect Itachi, all those times he wanted the man to open up and smile?

_Flashbacks_

_Sasuke's face then turned from a sad one to a determined one. He would get Itachi to open up and smile. That was his goal. He knew that as soon as he regained all his memories, he would have to go back to whatever he was but before then, Sasuke vowed that he would do whatever it takes to make Itachi happy. Itachi had saved him and repaired him. He owed the crimson eyed man for his existence now. 'And to show my gratitude, I'll make sure that he smiles at least once before I go. I'll get him to open up and show some emotion. I'll help get rid of the sadness in his heart.'_

_And that was the robot's promise. He would help Itachi heal. He would free him from the prison he locked himself in. He would crush down the doll façade and release the trapped angel inside. He would get Itachi to experience happiness. Sasuke would see a smile before he left to go back to whatever he worked as. That was his promise. And he intended to keep that vow. _

_Anger..._

_Itachi reached his hand out and ran his fingers over one of the stitched cuts. It was a light feathery touch, barely able to be felt but Sasuke felt it. He watched as Itachi slowly moved his fingers to feel the robot's warm chest. The crimson eyed man could picture in his mind all the hydraulic servomechanisms that made up the robot's strong build and steel endoskeleton, a chrome skeleton. As Itachi's brain filled with cybernetic knowledge, Sasuke's brain came up with some other things. 'His touch is so gentle, his face so untroubled. He looks like he's at peace, with no problems or regrets; just an ordinary man living in a life full of nature, but that's not really it. He should be happy, yet he's not. Something's tearing at his heart. Something is making him suffer. I wish I could find out what it is. Then, I could help him. If only he would tell me...' the robot inferred. His onyx eyes never left the face of the man he wanted so much to smile. Those eyes, soft and caring, showed all his emotions for Itachi. It told of how he felt for the man, every single thing down to the last detail if one was to look close enough. So what if he was a robot, he knew what human emotions were, and he could feel them too. Just because he was made out of metal doesn't mean that he was cold and hard as the solid alloy. He could feel happiness, sadness, fear, longing, anger, pain, etc. His eyes were not blank and empty orbs of obsidian. They could show emotion, just like he could show emotion as well, especially towards a certain someone by the name of Itachi. Too bad it couldn't be said the same for Itachi towards Sasuke. Those garnet eyes held nothing, just blank emptiness. Oh how Sasuke wanted to see something in those eyes, anything, to signify that this man was alive inside as he was out. _

_Frustration..._

'_It worked. It actually worked. Posing that question really did get Itachi to talk more. And not only that, when we were saying those things in agreement with each other, it... it felt as though we were very close... It was like, in that very moment, there was something there... Something, that made me feel... Ahh, I can't explain it. I can't put it into words. I just know that, in that very moment, when his eyes met mine, I could tell that he felt comfortable with me. It was like he accepted me; he let me through those walls for a short while. I felt it. I know it was there. We actually had something we could relate to and I felt all the tension and awkward feeling disappear in that one moment. We answered each other, in our minds. And I feel as though Itachi somehow opened up to me. He didn't smile or reveal any secrets about himself, but there was something...' Sasuke's eyes lingered on Itachi's slender form seated elegantly on the chair. His back was straight, shoulders held back without a slouch. His face was turned towards the window, probably to avoid meeting the robot's gaze. But Sasuke could remember those alluring red eyes in contrast with the porcelain fair skin. Itachi's hair was still in his low ponytail. However, it spilled down his back, cascading down his shoulders in lovely raven locks. His bangs framed his flawless face, ghosting over his delicate hand that was holding his perfectly-shaped cheek. How Itachi managed to look beautiful every single day was beyond his knowledge, but he had to admit that was the truth. _

_Slowly, the robot's lips turned upward into a huge grin. He had accomplished something today. He had felt it, even if it was not obvious. 'My first step towards fulfilling my promise. I have a long way to go but I can do it. I will see that smile, one way or another.'_

_Sadness..._

_Still, the feeling that he had at the beginning didn't go away. It stayed, despite the fact the danger was gone. The same motivating feeling, the same desire... 'The wish to protect...' It was still there. _

"_I should go and fix the generators," stated Itachi as he began walking away from the robot. _

"_I'll go with you," said the AIR immediately. He didn't want to be separated from Itachi, even if it was for only a small distance. The feeling was still inside him. For some reason, he felt as though he should stay close to the silent man. A tugging sensation that was by far indistinguishable to him. 'Everything's alright now. So why do I still feel this way?' the robot asked himself. It confused him that at that moment of time when Itachi could have gotten hurt, a compelling force drove him past comprehensible thought to protect him. To keep him from harm, even if it meant new wounds for the AIR. _

'_But even if I did get injured, it would only be on the outside. It doesn't hurt and the wounds can heal eventually. Perhaps maybe tomorrow they would be gone already. Is that why I chose to fight with that dog? Did I only step out because I knew that the dog could never badly harm me physically, or was it for some other reason? If I had been a human instead, would I have done the same thing, knowing it could kill me?' Sadly, Sasuke would never have that questioned answered because he wasn't a human. But perhaps he had felt something that could be somewhat similar to human instinct. An instinct and a will to protect towards a certain someone... _

_Pain..._

_Nothing was said after that. However, despite the silence in the room, Sasuke's smile didn't diminish when the bandaging session was over nor did it fade even when they were getting ready to go to sleep. 'Another barrier down, another step closer... That promise will be fulfilled.' And with that, the AIR's thoughts drifted back to his earlier musings, the reason he was smiling before the small act of gratitude by Itachi. A reason, a purpose, a thought that made him content as he drifted into his sleep mode. _

'_I'm happy here... being with him.'_

_Betrayal..._

'_He knows?!' "No... of course not. Why would there be?" 'But there is... I want to stay, because not only do I want to thank you, I want... to be with you. You're the only one who can make me feel this... sensation. You calmed me when I was scared; you helped me when I needed it the most. You gave me a home, continued to care for me, and... made me happy. Even if I was to remember everything, I wouldn't forget you. I can't simply walk away just because I have another life somewhere else... I can't let go... I don't think I'd be able to let go... I promised to make you smile, and even if that promise is fulfilled, I'm not going to be satisfied enough to leave. I don't want to stay here only just to keep promises and repay kindness. I... want to stay because of you... I know you're not my creator and I know I don't belong here... But was it simply an accident that I would crash into your yard and meet someone as wonderful as you? I fell, only for an angel to take my hand and lead me back up to the light.'_

'_Can't you see, Itachi, how important you are to me?'_

_End of Flashbacks_

_Hurt..._

"You're wrong Itachi. I do have a heart. A mechanical heart. It doesn't beat; it doesn't need to sustain me and I can't see it. It's not tangible. But it's real," Sasuke said out loud in the midst of his inner turmoil. "But it doesn't matter now, does it? You don't care. You don't want me here. You don't want me to be a part of your life. So what's the point of living now?" _'When the one person I've tried to live for... doesn't want me.'_

"I've tried to help you. I tried to understand you. I tried to make you happy. But in the end, I guess I'm just a hopeful fool. My efforts were pointless, worthless even. I was fighting an abandoned war from the beginning. I never meant anything to you. I tried time and time again. But I guess that shows what a hopeless fool I was. We weren't anything. To you... I'm nothing."

'_I have a mechanical heart. But now... It's broken. And I can't mend it. So what's the point of continuing on?'_

Sasuke stood up from his spot on the dining room chair, his mind made up and his resolve as hard as the metal that he was composed of.

'_If it'll make you happy, if it'll set you to ease, I'll leave. I'll go back to Konoha and get demolished.'_ A melancholic smile then cracked itself upon the AIR's face. _'Besides, there's no point in living with this broken mechanical heart anyway.' _

* * *

"I have to tell him."

"Hm?" Kakashi paused from his breakfast, his eyebrow raised ever so slightly as he looked at the hunched figure standing in the threshold of his hallway. From the man he had known and been neighbors with for one year, he could see the white knuckles from having been clenched for so long, the small trembling shoulders, and the head hung low, efforts to try and muffle the sobs. He had known this man for one year, been his friend for one year. One year they had gotten along and helped each other, Itachi making his breakfast and Kakashi doing small favors in return. It had been one year but Kakashi had never felt that he knew the man, truly seen just who he was as a person. Now... _'It's good to finally meet you Itachi, the real you. The real you who's really a sad and broken man. The you who wishes for company, the you who cares and who isn't as cold hearted as you make yourself sound.' _

"I have to tell him," Itachi repeated. He let out one last shaky breath before he brought his hands up and forcefully wiped the tears from his eyes. "I can't let this continue on." _'I have to fix this. I've made too many mistakes in the past and I've lost too much. I can't let this end like all those times.'_ "It was a mistake to lie about my feelings. I had thought that by lying, I wouldn't have to accept the truth." _'The truth of how much I really do care.' _

"But a lie is a lie and I've been running for so long now, lying through my teeth, putting on this façade... I'm tired. I'm tired of trying so hard. I'm tired of pretending to be strong, pretending to be someone I'm not. Everything that Sasuke has done for me, he doesn't deserve those words I spat at him, those narrow-minded accusations," Itachi continued. "I owe him an apology. I owe him the truth. I owe him so much."

A strong hand clapped itself onto Itachi's shoulder and the long haired man suppressed his jolt of surprise. He looked back and saw kindness and understanding in the white haired man's gaze. "I don't know what happened in your past to have made you become the person I've known you as for one year. And I'm not going to make you tell me if you don't want to but you should remember this: just because you've had a bad past doesn't mean you're entitled to a bad future as well. What happens in the past doesn't make you who you are; it's what you choose to do, the path you choose in the end that defines you. You've made the mistake of having that past define you, of letting it control you and take over your future. But truth be told, the past is past, it'll never take over your future, not unless you let it. Your story had a sad beginning, don't let it have a sad ending."

Itachi stared at Kakashi for a few seconds before he nodded. "I understand. Thank you."

"For what? I didn't do anything. It was Sasuke that made you realize everything," Kakashi joked.

"For being my friend," Itachi answered. And once again Kakashi was shocked to see something alive in Itachi's once dull, lifeless eyes. Those blank vermillion orbs he was so accustomed to seeing were no longer there. Instead he saw gratitude and appreciation shining in that vibrant crimson. "For putting up with me for one year."

"Hey, no problem. You're not that hard to deal with," Kakashi replied. "But back to serious matters, you said Sasuke looked as though he wanted to kill you. Do you really think it's wise to go confront him like that? Aren't you scared he might do something... irrational?"

"I am scared. After all, I did betray his trust so I'm not surprised he's angry and I don't blame him for it either. But my mistakes have gone on for long enough. I have an apology to make and if he tries anything, I can't say I don't deserve it," said Itachi.

"I'll come with you. Maybe with two people, he'll be polite enough to at least hear you out," Kakashi offered.

"You don't have to-"

"I insist," Kakashi interrupted. He didn't look as though he could be dissuaded any moment.

"Alright." With that Itachi walked out the door with Kakashi following him closely behind. Then, the two men started their trek back to Itachi's house, neither saying a word as they silently walked on. They tried to enjoy the peace and quiet to prepare for the inevitable confrontation that was about to occur with neither one of them knowing how it would end.

After walking for about five minutes, Kakashi suddenly said, "The weather doesn't look that good today."

Itachi turned his head to look up at the sky as well. He was right; the sky didn't look at all great. Dark heavy rain clouds had settled upon the upper atmosphere, successfully blocking the clear blue skies that Itachi had been so accustomed to seeing. Their nebulous presence seemed to obscure even the bright warm rays of the sun making the land seem more gloomy than usual. The wind picked up around them and filled their bodies with a cold feeling of dread as its voiceless mutters traveled over the land. The grass looked like a washed out shade of a stygian peridot and the trees stretched out their long claw-like branches as the wind blew through them. Even the mountains in the distance, once majestic and grandiose, now looked evil and foreboding. _'Perhaps it's an omen telling me that this isn't going to end well,' _Itachi thought.

"It looks like it might rain sometime soon," the white haired man added to his previous statement. "At best, it might just be a little rain but at worst, we could be in for a heavy downpour later on." Itachi chose not to comment.

Finally, the two of them reached Itachi's house. "I'm going in alone. I think this conversation should be for just him and me. Hopefully I can salvage what little trust he must have in me now and fix everything," Itachi said while pausing at the door. Kakashi only nodded and didn't try to argue. This was Itachi's fight now, not his: Itachi's fight to overcome the past that had been oppressing his happiness for so long. He knew it was a working process and not something that would just click right away. First was the realization and then the acceptance. Now, Itachi would have to deal with the consequences of his previous actions without knowing what Sasuke's reactions would be. But Itachi was his friend. And Kakashi would be damned before he turned his back on a friend.

Itachi placed his hand on the doorknob, twisted slowly and crossed the threshold into his house, shutting the door slowly with a silent click. He steadied himself in preparation for the encounter to come. Everything looked the same as it always was, the same couch, same coffee table, same dining table, same walls, nothing in the environment looked as though it had changed at all. But something had changed.

Itachi half expected Sasuke to be in the living room, seething on the couch waiting for him to return. Waiting with those hatred-filled eyes. It surprised the long haired man when he came upon an empty room and a vacant sofa. He wasn't in the kitchen either. "Sasuke?" No answer. _'Maybe he's in his room.'_ Itachi ascended the stairs and made his way to the AIR's bedroom. The door was open all the way and a quick peek inside told Itachi that the robot was not there either. Nor was he in Itachi's room. "Sasuke?" _'Where is he?' _Itachi searched the whole second floor and looked in his attic but the robot was nowhere in sight. Worried, he ran down the stairs as fast as he could and checked his basement. Nothing. "Sasuke!"

Distressed at not being able to find the robot, Itachi ran to the front door, threw it open, and yelled to Kakashi, "Sasuke's gone missing! I can't find him!"

"What!" Kakashi made his way into the house and asked, "Did you check everywhere?"

"Yes! Help me check again," Itachi answered, desperation lacing his voice. The two of them split up and searched the entire house from top to bottom again. It wasn't a very big house and there weren't any secret rooms or hidden corners that existed so by the time they met back in the living room, it was obvious that Sasuke was not hiding somewhere in the house and was in fact, gone.

"Where could he have gone," Itachi questioned. _'How long was he gone? Is he alright?' _

"This place is in the middle of nowhere so it's not as though he has anywhere to go. And I'm betting that he still hasn't recovered his memories yet," Kakashi proposed then continued, "So he shouldn't have left for that reason."

"It's my fault," Itachi admitted guiltily. "It's all my fault. I said that I didn't want him here. I said I wanted him to leave. And now he's really gone." _'I did this. God, why do I always keep messing everything up?' _

"He couldn't have gone far. You saw him this morning," said Kakashi.

"But where? Where could he have gone?" _'He shouldn't even be wandering around! He's wanted. He's going to be demolished if he's found! Doesn't he realize that,' _Itachi's mind supplied for him. "There's nowhere else for him. And I've just sent him away from the only home he's ever known." Itachi felt his eyes start to water again from the realization but quickly closed his eyes to prevent the tears from falling. Now was not the time. He had to calm down and think rationally if they were ever going to find Sasuke.

"Maybe he just went out for a walk to cool his head off. Who knows, he might come back," suggested Kakashi.

Itachi shook his head. "No, something tells me he's not coming back. You didn't see the look in his eyes this morning. What I've done, it isn't something you can just forgive and forget after a walk." _'But where could he have gone? There's nothing here for miles except... Konoha...' _The red eyed man gasped as he put a hand to his mouth. "No... He couldn't have gone there... Could he?"

A crackle of lightening flickered throughout the house, surprising the two inhabitants followed closely by a resonating roar of thunder. Heavy rain was then heard pelting against the closed windowpanes of the house.

"Where," Kakashi asked.

"Konoha," Itachi exclaimed.

"But he knows he's wanted there-"

"I said once that if it was his fate to go back and be demolished, then I wouldn't care. I treated him like an object to be trashed! What if he believes that? What if he really thinks he's nothing more than an object? Oh god..." Itachi exclaimed horrified. _'What have I done? What kind of cold-hearted monster have I become?' _

"Well if he really is headed for Konoha then we have to catch up to him. He couldn't have gone far," Kakashi said. "We'll take my car." Itachi only nodded in agreement as the two of them sped out of the house and hurried over to Kakashi's own residence where his car was. Above, the rain beat down on them mercilessly as thunder boomed in their ears accompanied by occasional flashes of lightening. "Damn, this storm doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. If driving in this weather is a bitch, then looking for someone's going to be a pain in the ass, assuming he hasn't made it to Konoha yet."

Itachi couldn't agree more with that statement. "I just hope we can find Sasuke in this." _'Please let us find him in time. If he makes it to the entrance terminals, the security robots stationed there are going to arrest him on the spot once they see the scratch on his eye. If that happens, then I'll never get the chance to tell him...'_

The car was a silvery white color and by car, I mean hovercraft. In place of the wheels of the car were a series of small turbines attached to crankshafts that operated by creating a cushion of low-pressure, high volume air between the underbody pan of the vehicle and the surface below. The two of them climbed into the vehicle and within a few seconds of starting the ignition, the hovercraft jumped to life as it headed towards the towering glass dome in the distance, making it's way to the famous metropolis by the name of Konoha.

'_I'm sorry Sasuke. I'm sorry for everything I've said about you. I don't want you to leave. I don't want you to be demolished. I do care. More than ever, I want you to stay with me. I just hope I can find you in time to tell you this.'_

* * *

You know, this is a very embarrassing fact but I actually had to read through everything I had written, all twelve chapters before I could write this. I had completely forgotten everything and half of these ideas presented here just blew over my head because I had totally forgotten how I even came up with this.

Why did I choose to write a sci-fi as my first story? That I will never know.

Thank you to all the people who favorited, reviewed, or followed me. You can't imagine how much that has helped me to continue this.

Please review because it helps me out. I like reading your reviews and it'll give me much support in the future. Thank you!

~P§


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